The War on Blackwood Mountain
by The OC Architect
Summary: After the prank on Hannah and Beth, it's as if there's an elephant in the room every time the ten friends get together. But that doesn't stop Josh from gathering them all for one last weekend on Blackwood Mountain on the anniversary of his sisters' disappearance. To the group, it was what they thought was a good weekend plan. But that weekend, for some, would be their last.
1. The Prologue to the Prologue

**Author's Note** : Welcome. To this. I'd just like to apologize for starting so many stories and then seemingly forgetting about them, but trust me, it's for reason of lack of a muse. Nothing more.

Anyway, welcome to my Until Dawn fanfiction! I don't have a PS4, but I watch YouTubers like Cryaotic, Markiplier, and Tetra Ninja, and by god, I fell in _love_ with this game. The story was immersive, the characters were amazing and had feeling (except Emily, she's a bitch). My top two favorite characters were Sam and Chris. Josh was up there, too. His death was unfair. So he might survive here, we'll see. On that note, Sam beating Chris just by a bit as my top fave, I thought the girl needed some love. I know there were hints of Sam/Josh, but _clearly_ that wasn't going to pan out.

So I created this guy. So enjoy! I'm excited to see feedback, because this fandom is rapidly increasing in size and that excites me! So, please, let me know if I should continue!

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. It may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. IF I owned this game...I dunno what I'd do, but it'd be great. I'd probs make my OC canon.

 _Prologue to the Prologue_

The light was bright as it shined down on me. I was in a wheelchair, no movement in my right leg, just above the knee. The fluorescent lights hurt my eyes. My face throbbed where bruises and cuts littered the terrain of my skin. My entire being ached, from physical to mental alike.

The woman in front of me was in an official looking business, holding a writing pad with a pen ready.

"The stranger. The one with the flamethrower, you say? What was your initial impression of him?"

I winced at the loudness of her voice, but I shrugged it off. My voice shook slightly as I spoke. "He was terrifying at first. I mean, old man with a gun blowing fire…he-he scared all of us."

"Were your companions afraid of this man?"

"Y-yes, I assume so."

"Is it possible one of _them_ killed him?"

" _What?!_ No! He-he _saved_ Chris's life. Chris told us he watched him die. You…you don't know Chris like we do…like I do. No. No, the stranger…he was killed by the other thing."

"Yes, describe these, um, what did you call them again? When-die-goes?"

"Wendigos."

"Yes, describe them."

"They…they crawl on all fours. They're lightning f-fast. Their skin i-is so pale, it's white, and-and stretched unnaturally tight all over their body. A-and their teeth are as sharp as steak knives w-with eyes, large, milky white eyes. Straight out of a horror movie. A nightmare come to life."

"And these beasts were located where?"

"Everywhere. The mine…the mental facility, Lodge, hotel…e-everywhere."

"Yes. These mines and this sanatorium you all discovered. Who found them?"

"Jess. Jess, she-she told us about the mine. Emily, too. We all were in the sanatorium together. Mike found the psycho lock up facility first. And-and we went through it…it was terrible. We were looking around for something…anything and…and…they got Josh before that…i-in the shed and…and…"

"Your friend, Josh. Tell me, were you aware of his condition?"

I shook my head, my voice ragged. "No one was. No one could have been. He-he…J-Josh was fine after the first month. I mean, he wasn't fine, but he seemed…he seemed…he s-seemed like he was coping. He got close to me and Sam…me, Sam, and April…and he just…he just seemed like, Josh, ya know?"

"You and Chris, you both hit Josh. Why?"

"Are you kidding? He was psychotic! He…he almost got to Sam! The fucker almost hurt Sam!"

"And what is your connection to Miss Samantha?"

"I…we're friends. Yes, friends."

"Just friends, Mr. Anthony?"

" _Just_ friends," I said, grinding my teeth.

"Was Mr. Washington tied up when you assaulted him?"

"I did NOT assault him!" I yelled, my voice heavy with grief and anger as a tidal wave of emotions suddenly crashed inside of me. "HE WAS FUCKING WITH OUR MINDS. I don't care if the bastard was tied up or not. Chris'll tell you the same thing. It looks bad. But you don't understand. You can never understand."

"Easy, Mr. Anthony. I'd like you tell me what you remember."

"Remember?"

"About your experience on Blackwood Mountain."

"Listen. Listen closely. It doesn't _matter_ what I remember. All you need to know is if people are allowed up there, people get hurt. Badly. Some _die_. People you've known for years, who you've called a friend for years, gone in a blink.

"But I know you. I know law enforcement and government. You'll send agents to investigate and then shut it down the moment it gets scary. It'll be another Area 51.

"But if you are stupid enough go up there, you must check everywhere. Mines, sanatorium, Lodge, the hotel, everywhere. Kill them all. All the Wendigos. Whether you believe any of us, that's up to you. But once you get up there, don't bother coming back until you've exterminated every last bastard. Because if you don't, not one of you is gonna get outta there alive"

"You're saying that these things are very dangerous then?"

"Do you _see_ the condition I'm in? That my friends are in? Yes, they're dangerous! The mines. The sanatorium. Littered with them. B-but the mines. You have to go to the mines."

"What's in the mines, Mr. Anthony?"

"Wendigos. And proof."

"Proof of?"

"Proof that none of us are insane," I said simply.

"I would still like to hear your story, Mr. Anthony."

"My story?"

"Yes, your story. From the beginning."

I leaned back, suppressing a groan of pain as I did do. "You wanna hear my story, huh? Fine. I'll need a notebook or two and a few pens. Maybe a pencil. Some coffee."

"You wish to…write out your story, Mr. Anthony?"

"Trial and error. Can't miss a thing."

The woman paused. "Fine. You will have your supplies."

The woman left me alone in the room, promising she'd be back in a moment.

And so I waited. The silence was deafening. I was starting to get a migraine from the bright lights. The pain I felt all over my body was a sharp, yet dull throb.

What felt like hours later, the door slid open and the woman reentered, a notebook and a pen and pencil in her hands. She handed me the objects and I took them, uncapping the ballpoint pen. I opened the notebook and stared at the blank lines, then looked back up at the woman.

"If I could do this alone, please. And…and could you turn down the lights?"

The woman didn't respond but she left me alone, and a moment later the lights dimmed. I looked back at the paper. A year ago yesterday, Hannah and Beth had gone missing. And a yesterday, we found out what had happened. The woman wanted me to start from the beginning. So I would.


	2. The Actual Prologue

**Author's Note** : Do people even read these? I've officially decided "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten is Sam's theme song. So, like, read and stuff. Enjoy. Give me feedback? Thanks? That's all.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. IF I owned this game I'd be super rich and probably play it more than I'd like to admit.

 **Editing** : I forgot this on the last chapter. All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Actual Prologue_

"This is a terrible idea. Absolutely horrible. It's a cruel joke. That's what it is. A cruel trick."

I rolled my eyes at my twin's antics as we approached the door to the Lodge. My red windbreaker was pulled shut tightly over my white henley, the icy wind biting through the thin material of the shirt. Snow flecked my Ray-ban glasses, making it a tad difficult to see. The frozen water was raging in a thin, white sheet, pelting us relentlessly. It looked like a snow storm night. Again.

My shoulders ached from all the firewood I was toting. My feet hurt from walking so much. My back hurt from swinging the axe. Why I had taken along my sister instead of another dude to help me, I'd never be quite sure. It was a miracle that the Washington Estate was in sight.

It was a sight to behold, for certain. It was a huge manor, constructed of stone and wood, with a log cabin-y feel to it. The lights were all on inside the Lodge, lighting up the various rooms. As the we got closer, we could see our friends gathered in the kitchen. Gathered and ready to play a prank on Hannah.

I had mixed feelings about the prank. It was quite mean, yes, compared to their harmless little stunts in the past. It was a bit of a step upward in the jerk department. But everyone was onboard. Except Sam. And Beth wasn't aware.

Sam had texted me while April and I were finishing up chopping firewood, telling me that it was almost time. Josh and Chris were passed out drunk on the countertop, which meant there would be no protective big brother to worry about.

But still. Playing Hannah like this…it just seemed _wrong_.

Instead of voicing my opinion though, I tugged my jacket a little closer and hiked up the stack of firewood, increasing my pace. "Come on, April. Let's hurry up. I think I'm getting frostbite…"

April muttered something unintelligible, which I was sure wasn't very nice, but I didn't comment on it. We just continued up the path.

I glanced over at my twin and saw her reach up and take off her beanie, smoothing her honey blond hair, and stuffing the cap in her coat pocket. She was dragging the axe lazily by her side. There was somewhat of a sour expression on her face, presumably from what our friends were about to do.

I couldn't quite blame her though. I didn't like this myself.

April pulled open the door and I kicked the snow off my Timberlands, shuffling inside. I set the firewood down beside the door, took off my windbreaker, and wiped my shoes thoroughly on the mat. After making sure they were dry enough, I took them off and slipped on my Nike sandals over my warm, wool socks.

Upon standing up, I realized April was already gone, and voices were coming from the dining room.

I cracked my back and ran a hand through my thick, dark blond hair. It was damp from the snow and stuck up in all directions. After a brief internal debate, I opted to keep my beanie on, covering the back of my head, and then headed for the dining area as I cleaned my glasses on my shirt.

As I approached the group, the voices became clearer.

"…not her fault she has a _huge_ crush on Mike –" I smiled unintentionally upon hearing Sam's voice, no matter how irritated she sounded. Whether she was angry, sad, happy, or somewhere in the gray, she always sounded cute.

"Hannah's been making moves on him. I'm just looking out for my girl Em." And that was Jessica, flat, bubbly voice, not a care for anyone's feelings. Sounded about right.

I snorted to myself when I heard Jessica. No one, _no one_ but her liked Emily. And Mike, but no one was telling him that. She was a world class bitch. No competition.

I leaned against the wall as the group started migrating towards me. I accounted for Emily, Jessica, Sam, and Ashley. Then I noticed my sister wasn't in the group. _She must've gone and found Beth_.

But I instantly stopped thinking about April when Sam stopped in front of me, a wide smile on her face despite the situation. "Percy! You're back!" She reached up a bit and ruffled my hair, then pulled back a disgusted look on her face. "And wet."

I grinned sardonically. "Yes, Sam. That's what happens when frozen water lands on my head."

Sam smacked my arm playfully and we followed the group.

Mike and Emily were teasing each other about something and Sam cut off from everyone, heading up the stairs. I wasn't about to follow, but I caught Jess's eye and she winked at me. Jessica _winked_ at _me_. _On second thought, I'll go with Sam._

I waved and grinned awkwardly, then took the stairs two at a time, catching up with Sam just as she yelled Hannah's name. There was scuffling downstairs afterward as people got into position. Sam just huffed and sat down on the top stair and I followed suit.

It was quiet for a moment before I broke the silence. "You feel bad." It was a simple statement, not a question.

"Yes, I feel bad!" Sam exploded, but exploded quietly. "Hannah's my best friend and I'm letting her get tricked by Mike, the world class casanova. What kind of friend am I?"

I propped my elbows on my knees, and turned my head to look at Sam. Her blonde hair was up in some sort of elaborate bun, the shorter pieces framing her face (which was hidden by her hands). She wore a red and white sweater and pair of jeans. She was utterly gorgeous and I had harbored this little crush on her for a while, ever since ninth grade, when we'd come to a mutual truce to stop annoying each other, even though it was fun. But right now, she looked miserable.

I curled a tentative arm around her shoulders, not wanting to overstep any boundaries, but I must not have, because Sam let herself be pulled into my side and let her hands drop away from her face.

"I just don't want her to hate me, Perce."

"She won't," I promised, though I wasn't totally sure, but I kept going. "Hannah's strong and independent. It takes a lot more than a mean prank to get her down."

"Yeah, but this is _Mike_ we're talking about! Hannah's had a massive crush on him since…since a long time! This is going to destroy her. I know it is."

I licked my lips, not sure how to respond. I knew Sam was right. Hannah _had_ had a massive crush on Mike since…well, since forever. I knew it wasn't easy to shake off the verbal jabs and harmless, yet embarrassing, pranks of the group, but Hannah had always managed to do so with flying colors. I'd been pranked by the group before, and it was _not_ fun. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it if our positions had been reversed. Hell, I was _sure_ I wouldn't be able to take it if I were in Hannah's shoes.

But that wasn't what Sam needed to hear. She needed a moral boost.

I dropped my arm from Sam's shoulders, and turned towards her, hands folded. The sudden lack of touch prompted Sam to look at me and I couldn't help but smile for a brief moment. "Hey, look. I completely agree with you, you know that. They're being jerks, trust me, I've been there. Remember sophomore year?"

A ghost of a smile drifted across Sam's lips. "With Jenny Hooper?"

I grinned back. "Yeah, with Jenny Hooper."

"You had a huge crush on her, too."

 _Not as much as on you_. "Yeah, I did. And it sucked. Little did I know Jenny was a bitch. But that's beside the point! I got over it. Hannah will too."

Sam didn't look as convinced.

"Tell you what," continued I, a bit desperate to brighten her mood since Chris and Josh would probably passed out until dawn, "after this whole fiasco is over, I'll make you, me, and Hannah some popcorn, and we can sit in the theater and watch a movie, alright? Just us. Beth and April, if you like. None of the douchenozzles that are participating invited."

That left a real smile on Sam's face, and I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach. Stupid emotions. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great Percy. We should probably go check on them…"

"Right."

I stood up, and dramatically gestured down the stairs. "After you, my lady."

Sam smirked a bit and curtsied, even though she wasn't wearing a skirt, before heading down the stairs, me in tow.

Once we neared the doors, we began to hear laughter. I winced and we both exchanged mournful looks. Judging by the volume of the laughter, we were sure the worst was coming at full speed.

Sam opened the door, and I came up right beside her, "Hannah!" Everyone was laughing, and Mike was trying to speak. Hannah had her back towards the door.

"…Hannah, this all got outta hand…"

As we stepped into the room, we got a better look at the scene before us. And our sorrow turned to looks of horror as the weight of the situation finally hit us. Hannah had her shirt half unbuttoned and was madly trying to cover up. Mike's face was a glorious shade of red. Everyone else was dying of laughter, except Matt, who had an impish grin on his face as he held the camera phone still.

I was at a loss for words as Sam tried to console Hannah.

"Hannah! Hannah, hey, honey…"

"Mike…!" Hannah's voice was a broken mixture of embarrassment and betrayal and I felt my heart snap in two.

Sam was still trying. "Don't…it's just a prank…"

But before Sam could finish, Hannah had reopened the door and was running away.

"…just a stupid prank," Sam finished, surprised. But her look of shock turned to anger real fast and she rounded on the group.

"Uh…damn…" said Mike quietly.

"You guys are jerks. You know that?" Then Sam turned and muttered an apology as she pushed me out of the way, then took off after Hannah.

I stared at the group, who were all uncharacteristically quiet. I fixed a glare on Mike. "'Uh…damn,' is all you have to say? Hannah was near tears. That was a dick move, Mike. Dick move." I shook my head and hurried after Sam and Hannah. The pound of footsteps behind me meant the group was following. After a pit stop to grab my windbreaker, I followed the sound of Sam's voice.

We all stopped just outside of the back door. Sam was already there, hands cupped around her mouth, yelling for Hannah. She was shaking, her small frame shuddering in the outdoors. It had gotten colder since April and I had come inside from gathering firewood and the wind was nipping harshly against my bare skin.

 _I should get gentleman of the year award,_ I thought as I let my coat drop around Sam's shoulders and rubbed my hands slowly up and down her covered arms, attempting to heat her up a bit. Sam paused yelling only long enough to shoot me a grateful smile. She was about to yell for Hannah again when Beth and April pushed through the group. Beth was wrapped up in her winter coat and April was shivering in just her crème colored sweater. Beth looked livid and April was just as shocked.

April shot me a ' _What the hell?'_ look and I shook my head, indicating that I, or someone else, would explain later. Which then I realized someone would have to tell Josh and Chris when they woke up. And I did not want to be the sorry sap that told Josh.

"What's going on? Where is my sister going?" demanded Beth, a tad frantically.

Jess rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Ugh, its fine…she just can't take a joke."

"It was just a prank, Han!" yelled Emily, at the raging snowstorm. Her expression was a cross between annoyed and her usual resting bitch face.

"What did you do?!" This time, it was clear that Beth was angry when she spoke. Her fists were clenched at her sides, eyes fixed angrily on Mike, with a dangerous light, like a lioness stalking her prey.

Mike was like a deer in headlights. "We were just messing around, Beth. It wasn't serious –"

And that was enough to tip Beth off the edge. "You JERKS!" She didn't give anyone a chance to respond. She was already running off into the storm, yelling her sister's name. The snow swallowed her up in a matter of seconds.

We all stood there, shocked, not sure how to react. We were all shivering to a certain degree, but no one dared to move.

"Not serious, huh?" April's voice was laced with pity and bitterness. "I don't know how you all can get off on the pain of others. Is it like a high to you? Do you _like_ humiliating people? It was clearly serious to Hannah. That wasn't a joke. I think you're the ones who need to learn the difference between a prank and being jackasses." And with a huff, April went back inside the Lodge, leaving the other seven to stand in the cold.

"So…should we go after her?"

"Y'know, I kinda think you're the _last_ person she wants to see right now, Mike." The sass in Sam's voice was sharp like a knife and she headed into the Lodge after April.

Before I knew it, all eyes were on me. I shrugged and turned to follow April and Sam, but Mike caught my arm.

"Perce, c'mon, man. You know it was just a prank, right? Hannah's overreacting."

"That's not a prank, Mike. People laugh at pranks. Hell, the victims laugh at pranks. What you did? That was cruel, man. That was cruel."

"When did you become a spoilsport, Percy?" asked Jessica, her eyebrow raised, expression all kinds of snooty.

"When you all became assholes," was my simple response, before heading back into the Lodge.

And one by one, everyone started to fill back inside. It was quiet, except for the occasional small talk. Mike and Emily went off somewhere on their own, probably getting down and dirty, and Matt, Jess, and Ashley were in the kitchen drinking to their heart's contentment.

Sam and I didn't go to the theater to watch a movie. In fact, we didn't do anything. I didn't ask her out in some clever and witty way like I'd planned to that weekend. We didn't gorge ourselves on popcorn and cherry soda like we were going to. Nothing happened the way it was supposed to.

I'm not sure what we all expected. I think we were all just waiting for Beth and Hannah to come back. There was a fire raging and we were going to cuddle up next to the warm light and wrap the girls in blankets. We'd apologize profusely for what we'd done. Well, for what they did. Mike, Emily, Jessica, Matt, and Ashley.

But of course, things didn't turn out that way.

Around midnight, everyone joined Sam, April, and I in the living room. We crowded around the fire, warming up. The sound of the wood crackling was our only comfort.

And it got later and later, and one by one, everyone went to sleep. Everyone but me and Sam.

Ashley took off first, followed by Matt. Jessica went next with Emily, Mike in tow (of course). And April headed out around 3AM, telling us to wake her if Beth and Hannah got back.

So Sam and I waited, curled up comfortably together on the couch, not a word between us. Half of a knitted blanket was draped over my lap and Sam pulled the other half up to her chin. My arm was around her, her head leaning on my shoulder, my head leaning on hers.

And we stayed like that the entire night, until dawn.

There were a couple false alarms, like the howl of the wind or a tree branch tapping on a window, but it was never Hannah or Beth. For most of the night, Sam and I were met with silence.

Just like when they had all gone to bed, one by one, they all woke up.

Mike and Emily were awake first. Although, 'awake' probably isn't the proper term. Let me rephrase. Mike and Emily were done having 'we're both jerks and we're dating so let's do it' sex and finally came out of their bedroom.

Mike asked about Beth and Hannah, to whom Sam snapped off a quick, "Go to hell!" while I just shook my head gravely. They both disappeared into the kitchen.

After a few brief moments, I heard a couple distinct crashes, but neither me, nor Sam, moved to investigate. And I was glad we hadn't, because we heard Josh and Chris yelling a second later.

Jess came down next, not speaking a word to me or Sam. Instead, she entered what I tend to now refer to as the 'First Battle of Blackwood Mountain'. The first battle to lead to all the rest. The first battle that lead to lots of pain.

Matt, Ashley, and April were the last to come down together. After we shared brief 'good morning's, they entered the first battle as well, except for April, who plopped down next to me and tried to insist that I get some rest.

But I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep.

That day, we spent most of it searching for Hannah and Beth. The snow storm had blown over so we all split up into groups of twos, looking for the girls. We followed footsteps, which eventually gave way to nothing but flat snow. We followed animal tracks. We spent countless hours yelling their names into the cool mountain air.

There was never a response.

And the weekend ended, just like that.

It was already Monday and we were all heading back to Los Angeles. Of course we called the police and put in a report, hoping something would be found. A clue, a message, anything.

The Washington's were taking it hard, Josh being the worst, at first.

Sam, April, and I didn't talk to anyone for that first month. Chris tried to play the middleman in it all. Josh was a mess, and he was getting professional help. The three of us were too angry at the others. But soon we realized that avoiding each other would get us nowhere. So after that month, we were on cordial terms. There was no use in getting angry. It wouldn't bring Hannah or Beth back.

We were all back our normal selves. We all hung out in LA and partied like normal teenagers. When anyone ever brought up what we referred to as the 'Incident', we gave each other these somber looks and requested that we not speak about it. And once the terms were agreed to, it was like nothing was ever said.

The year went on. Mike dumped Emily at some point and I knew Jess was in line to ride him like a bronco. Matt and Emily started dating (which was extremely weird). Chris, Josh, and I went back to hanging out together. Ash and Chris continued to dance around their mutual attraction for each other (not unlike Sam and I [though I wasn't sure if the attraction was mutual]).

But even though our 'bro time' was helping, I knew the real reason Josh was doing so well. It was because April, my twin sister April, seven minutes younger than me, was the driving force in his life. She'd been by his side since the Incident and rarely left it.

Then spending time as friends turned into a couple dates. And around four months after everything went down, Josh and April were dating, while I was still struggling to find a good way to ask Sam out to a nice dinner, and maybe a movie.

Life continued, though. We were all in contact with one another. The best of friends from the outside, ten peas in a pod. Not a thing wrong. Not unless you truly dug down deep and analyzed could you ever had guessed that we had demons. Dark, scary, angry, demons, that haunted us all every day.

All the 'what if's that danced around on the upper levels of our subconscious minds every day. What if someone had stopped them. What if I'd ran out and found them both, leading them back to the Lodge. The last words of Beth and Hannah: Beth calling us jerks and the look of utter betrayal on Hannah's face.

They were the little things that bothered us.

But still, we never showed it.

We moved on with our lives. Slowly, we all stopped hanging out as much.

I spent most of days with Sam, or with April, or April and Josh, or the four of us together.

Then near that last month, we stopped hanging out all together. I hadn't seen Mike or Emily or Jessica or Matt in the previous month. I hadn't seen Sam in a while. April spent all her free time with Josh. Ashley and Chris had started going places together 'as friends'.

And before any of us knew it, an entire year had almost passed since the Incident. I hadn't seen the original prank crew in two months. I hadn't seen Sam in one. I rarely saw April, and when I did, she was on her way out to see Josh.

An entire year had almost passed, and most of hadn't even realized.

But Josh knew. Josh kept track and he knew. And Josh had plans: a getaway back at Washington Estate on Blackwood Mountain. He sent us all a video message with trip plans.

Josh seemed to be doing a lot better in the video. His skin had regained some color and his hair wasn't as nappy. The dark circles around his eyes had lessened. And when the video ended, there was laughter behind the camera that I easily recognized as April's. I credited Josh's recovery completely and utterly to her.

And to all of us, getting back together seemed like a great idea. Josh was already there (with April) setting things up. We were all excited.

But we hadn't realized what we were getting ourselves into.

There was no way of knowing that the next night we'd spend on Blackwood Mountain would be a nightmare brought to life.

And that that night on Blackwood Mountain, for some, would be their last.


	3. Chapter One

**Author's Note** :I haven't stopped writing in six hours.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. IF I owned this game I still would have zero life.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter One_

"Today is the one year anniversary of the dreadful tragedy that took place on Mount Washington…Sherriff Annie Cline who was in charge of the investigation."

A bit of static broke through the radio feed, but Sam kept her eyes fixed on the window as the report continued. I sat beside her on the bus as it moved along slowly, her other ear bud in my ear.

A female voice broke through the static. "Thanks for having me, Marty."

More static.

"…listeners an update on Hannah and Beth Washington, the twins who are still missing."

"One year ago, tonight, the Washington girls left the safety of their parents' lodge and headed out into a snow storm."

More static filled the radio waves and I frowned as Sam winced.

"…foul play?"

"Not officially, no. There is one individual we're considering as a person of interest, but his whereabouts are currently unknown. He has an interesting history with the Washington family…He had warned them against pursuing their construction project and claimed the land was sacred to his forefathers."

"You know, there is still the old sanatorium on the mountain…Could he be hiding there?"

"My officers did search the grounds, but the girls themselves couldn't have made it that far."

"Something about that mountain seems to breed tragic events."

"More than you know, Marty."

"Well, thank you for joining us, Annie. To all the Washingtons tonight, their son Josh on this, the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Hannah and Beth Washington."

I pulled the earphone out of my ear abruptly and reached out, tapping Sam's phone screen. The video paused and my hand was shaking the slightest bit. My vision seemed to tunnel and I gasped for air.

Sam whipped her head around to face me, frowning when she saw my expression. She squeezed my arm, "Hey, are you alright?"

"No…I mean, yeah…yeah, I'm-I'm fine. Just that video…it was getting me down."

"It wasn't your fault, Percy," Sam said quietly. "It wasn't either of ours. We didn't partake. But it's in the past, we can't just stop talking to everyone else."

"And why not?"

"Because that's not the right thing to do. Now can we please watch Josh's invitation video?"

I didn't say anything, just plugged my ear bud back in. A new video of Josh popped up on the screen and began to play.

"Well hello, friends and fans…alright, let's do that again…" Josh grins at something, or _someone_ , behind the camera. "April, are you capable of working a camera?"

The camera shakes and a girl's voice – my sister's – comes through. "Yes, Josh, I'm capable. It's just not…focused."

Josh shakes his head and laughs, moving towards and out of the camera's view. A second later, the image becomes clearer and Josh reappears.

"Alright, well hello, friends and fans! It's beyond awesome to have you guys all back this year. First off, I gotta say, I'm super excited to welcome all my pals back to the annual Blackwood winter getaway!" He puts his arms up and imitates cheering and I made strangled sound in the back of my throat. He seemed so…so _normal_. Last time I'd seen him, before the video, he was as pale as a sheet. His dark hair was always greasy and nappy and there were large dark circles under his eyes. It never ceased to amaze me how well he'd gotten just in the month.

"So, um…Let me just let you know, uh…let's take a moment to address the 'elephant in the room' for a second…I know you're all probably worried about me and I know it's gonna be tough on all of us going back after what happened last year. But…I just want you all to know…it means…it means so much to me that we're doing this. And I…I know it would mean so much to Hannah and Beth that we're all still here together, thinking of them.

"I really wanna spend some quality time with each and every one of you, and, um, just share some moments that we'll never forget, for…for the sake of my sisters, you know? Okay…so! Let's part like we're fucking porn stars, okay? And make this one trip we will never forget, alright? Yes!" Then Josh put his arms up and cheered for real and I heard my sister laugh.

"How was –" Josh started to say, but the video feed cut out. I didn't _want_ to know what happened after that. Knowing your sister actively sleeps with your best friend…it was just something a guy could go without being aware of.

I pulled the earphone out of my ear again and pulled off my dark blue beanie, ruffling my hair up in the process.

Sam glanced over at me and frowned in the process. "I still can't believe you dyed your hair black." But a smirk was carefully hidden behind her annoyed look.

She was wearing some type of hat like the ones the Russians wore. At least, I think the Russians wore them. I didn't know much about Russians, but if they did wear those hats, they must have been pretty freaking desperate.

But of course, Sam made it look good.

Anyway, she was wearing a black leather jacket with a red scarf wrapped around her neck and plaid skirt with leggings and boots. How she was wearing a skirt, even with leggings, I'd never know. All I knew was it made her legs (who was I kidding, it made everything about her) look good.

And there I was, wearing three layers of shirts underneath a black hoodie with an arc reactor printed on the chest like Iron Man, a pair of long underwear under some jeans and the same wool socks Timberland boots I'd worn the year before. Talk about under dressed for the occasion.

Sam snapped her fingers in front of my face, drawing me out of my daze. "Hm?"

"You were staring. At me."

"Was I? Well, at least I zoned out on a nice view," I said cheekily and Sam blushed a bit before smacking my arm and muttering 'Stop it'.

I'd gotten more comfortable around her in the past year. We'd always been close, but I was making decent progress, if I did say so myself. I flirted with her regularly, and she always blushed or laughed, and both were great outcomes. On a good day, she flirted back, which always made my heart race.

"Please," she muttered after her face had settled back to its normal shade. "I wouldn't even date myself."

"Your standards must be impossibly high, then. How could I ever compare?"

Once again, Sam's face turned a bright scarlet and she gave me a pointed look. "Do you do this on purpose?"

"Do what?" I asked innocently.

"Flirt with me, make me all flustered, and blushing…what _do_ you get out it?"

I shrugged. "Have you ever taken a moment to think that I'm being serious when I say the things I do?"

That made Sam go quiet and she looked out the window. I knew she was going to avoid the subject even before she spoke the next time and when she looked at me again, she was regarding me more cautiously.

"You never told me why you dyed your hair," she pointed out.

"Right, my hair…" I ran a hand through it again, then pulled my hat back on the back of my head. "I sort of lost a bet."

"What bet?" asked Sam, intrigued. She was fully facing me now, expression curious.

"I wasn't going to originally come to this…getaway."

Sam nodded, not surprised. "I was thinking about not coming myself…but I realize I can't run from what happened. I have to face everyone else eventually."

"Right, but April, before she left to come up here with Josh, she told me she'd bet I'd come…after she gave me some new news about the trip."

"New news?"

"Yeah. And I told her I wouldn't come no matter what, we argued a bit, blah, blah, blah. So she bet me that if I decided I'd come, I'd have to dye my hair black in time for the trip. And then she told me."

"Told you what?"

"The news."

"And…?" Sam prompted.

"She…April told me that, ah…that you'd be there." I coughed a bit, my face heating up. That was a bit more embarrassing than casual flirting, and I was sure my face showed that. "I haven't seen you in a month," I quickly hurried to cover up, "And I thought it would be best that I did…again. I missed you, Sam," I confessed. "You were my best friend, and then suddenly we stopped hanging out so much and rarely talked. It sucked."

Sam looked embarrassed herself but she smiled through it. "I missed you too, Percy," she told me quietly. She wove her fingers through mine and squeezed them tightly.

She didn't let go until we got off the bus.

We got off the bus and I frowned when I saw my breath. I'd been taking the bus's warmth for granted. It was distinctively colder outside. My winter coat was in my backpack, though, and we had to get to the cable car.

"Y'know, this place is creepy as hell," I noted as we passed under the 'BLACKWOOD PINES' sign, through the wooden gate, and onto the trail. I turned to see Sam and she was smirking at me.

"Scared, Percy?"

"No," I defended adamantly. "But you can't tell me this place doesn't give you the chills in the slightest."

"The only chills I'm getting are because it's cold."

"Yeah, well, excuse me for not liking the dark woods that our friend's sisters –" I cut off as there was a sharp snapping of twigs off the path. I stopped and glanced over to find that Sam did too. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just step on a stick?"

"No," she said slowly, her eyes darting around and off the path. "Did you?"

"Nope."

Sam was silent. The gears in her brain seemed to be turning and I was almost afraid of what she'd come up with.

Then I started to continue forward, Sam right beside me. "Still think it's not creepy?"

"You win," she muttered. "Definitely creepy."

I grinned in triumph, "Of course I win. I always win."

Sam's hand stung across my chest as she slapped me playfully and marched on ahead of me. "Hurry up, Tall, Dark, and Dangerous, or we'll miss the car."

"'Tall, Dark, and Dangerous'," I said, my eyebrows knitting together and nose scrunching up.

When Sam turned around to look at me, she gave me one of her gorgeous smiles and I swear my heart nearly stopped beating. "Because of your hair. Get it?" she joked.

"Yeah, Goldilocks, I get it. Fucking hilarious," I muttered and Sam laughed, which I could assume that meant she'd heard me.

The two of us arrived at the iron gate a moment later and Sam pulled a piece of paper off the rusty bars. "What?" she muttered. "Dammit."

I came up behind her, adjusting my backpack, and looked over her shoulder. "What's up?" I asked as my eyes scanned the note. ' _The gate's busted, Climb over! – Chris_ '

"Wonderful. I love climbing things."

"You hate climbing things."

"I thought the sarcasm was evident."

"It wasn't," Sam quipped and I followed her over to the snowy brick wall to the left of the gate. "Give me a boost, will ya?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Me first."

Sam raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, a faint smile on her face. "You first? By all means."

I began scaling the rock wall, sticking my feet in the footholds and grabbing the bricks that stuck out of the wall. After a moment of struggling to find another foothold, I instead launched myself upward and caught the edge of the wall, just barely. It was icy, yet somehow I managed to pull myself to the top.

Up there, I turned to see Sam already climbing up after me. I reached out a hand to her, which she grabbed as she sent me a grateful smile, and I pulled her up.

Only, I'd overestimated the amount of force I'd need and we both went tumbling over the edge, landing in a pile of snow on the other side of the gate. I hit the ground with a grunt, Sam on top of me.

I felt quick, heated bursts of air on my face and when I opened my eyes, Sam's face was merely inches from mine. She was sprawled across my chest, eyes wide, breaths coming in and out quite quickly.

For a brief moment, time seemed suspended. Neither of us moved, and I didn't _want_ to move. I'd been keeping my little attraction a secret for a long time, and somehow, I'd revealed more than I'd wanted to in the past couple hours. If I was being honest, it was a perfectly good time to kiss her. Just lean up a bit further and bam, we'd be kissing.

But curse my gentlemanly ways, because I just smirked real cockily to cover up my embarrassment and said, "It's just like the movies. Do you want to kiss me, or shall I do the honors?" Yeah. Perfect gentleman.

Sam's face went bright red and she scowled, pushing up off of my chest to get off of me. She rolled over and stood up and I did to. We took turns brushing snow off of each other and re-shouldered our backpacks, continuing down the path.

It was relatively quiet, and I was enjoying it. It may have been dark, and scary, and ominous, _but_. But at least I had Sam.

I took some time to think about what I was about to get myself into. Scenarios ran through my mind about what would happen when we all got together again, and I was hoping it'd be civil. But when I thought more about it, Jess and Emily would be at odds, since Em was Mike's ex and had a crush on Mike. They were probably dating, for all I knew. Chris and Ash would probably still be awkward. Matt would be really uncomfortable with Emily, his new girlfriend, arguing with Jess over Mike. And Josh…well, I would never really get a read on Josh. Not recently. And that bothered me.

I was in deep thought when Sam gasped. "Awh, hey little fella! You hungry?"

My mind came back to the trail and I saw Sam crouching down, a peanut in her hand (where the hell had she gotten a peanut?), holding it out to a squirrel. I watched with amusement. Sam's ability with animals was simply stunning.

"Cutie!" she exclaimed when the squirrel took the nut and ran off, chattering excitedly, to wherever it had came from.

I smirked at her when she stood up and we kept walking. She caught my expression and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're such a nature-lover."

"You know I want to be a conservationist when I get older."

"You take 'conservationist' to the next level."

"Which is why I'll be the best."

"The most humble, too," I muttered and watched as Sam rolled her eyes with a smile.

The cable car station was in sight when we came across a sign. It looked newer, with butterfly outlines in various colors, a word and description beside each one. There was a brief paragraph at the top along with the title ' _Indigenous People and Butterfly Prophecies_ '. A sketch of an Indian was off to the side.

"Cool," muttered Sam as she examined it.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically, "Super cool. Three out of five seem to mean an imminent threat. The one flat out says ' _Death_ '."

Sam scoffed. "It's not like its real or anything."

Something in the snow beside the sign caught my eye and they widened a fraction. "Tell that to him."

I pointed to the totem and Sam's eyes followed my finger to the object. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Okay, now that's cool."

She reached out to grab and I looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you nuts?"

Sam sent me an annoyed look, fingers just brushing the surface of the totem. "What? It's not like it's cursed or anything."

"Great. You probably just jinxed us."

"Probably not though," she shot back and turned it over, looking at it. On the back was a butterfly-shaped indent, just like the ones on the sign. It was dark and murky, like there was a type of liquid swirling in the wooden totem, but that couldn't possibly be right. Sam studied with analyzing eyes. "It looks like some sort of image should be here…like one of those 'Magic 8 Balls'."

I stared hard at the black murkiness and suddenly, my vision was clouded unexpectedly.

 _A black bird – a raven – landed on a wooden picnic table laden in snow. The image zoomed out and I saw two people – a girl in a winter coat and guy in flannel – out in the weather, throwing snowballs. They stopped upon seeing the raven and neither of them threw a snowball at the bird. It flew away a second later._

Time seemed to resume and I fell to my knees, breathing heavily. My fingers scrambled at the snow, trying to grip it, to know it was real. My eyes fluttered all over the place – over the snow, the trees, the ground, the sky, everywhere.

Two hands landed on me, one on my arm, one on my back. The one on my back rubbed soothing circles through the fabric of the shirts and sweatshirt piled on me and Sam's voice was frantic in my ear. "Percy? Percy, what happened? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I managed, "How long was I out?" I turned to see her face. Her expression was full of concern and worry and I felt a touch of warmth knowing she cared so much.

"Out? You weren't out at all. You looked at the totem for like, one second, then you collapsed. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine," I muttered, the vision still fresh in my mind. Whatever that was, it was creepy. And it was even creepier that Sam didn't see it. It was even _creepier_ when I realized that I was eighty-two percent sure that the two people in it had been Mike and Jess. "I'm fine. Let's keep moving. Station's right there."

Sam helped me up and steadied me as I threatened to fall over again. "Let's take a second, Percy. Please? For me?" she asked as she clung to my arm, as if scared I'd float away. "Chris has been waiting for us for a while and the cable car's still a ways out. He can wait a bit more."

I reluctantly agreed, leaning heavily on the butterfly sign and taking deep, labored breaths. One of Sam's hands was wrapped around my arm, holding me tightly, and the other was rubbing circles on my back again. Her head rested against my shoulder, chest brushing my arm each time she took a breath.

I took the moment to take a rest, erasing the vision from my mind and focusing on nothing but Sam and her closeness that made every molecule in my body want to spontaneously combust. The circles she rubbed on my back were calming me down immensely and my breathing was back to normal in no time.

Sam was still reluctant to continue on, but she eventually agreed.

"C'mon," I'd said once I'd regained my composure. "Don't wanna keep Chris waiting any longer."

Sam looked as if she was going to argue, but instead she left go of me and nodded. "Yeah, okay.

As we moved towards the station, I allowed my hand to snake into hers, squeezing it tightly. She looked at me, eyebrow cocked. "Smooth," she commented smugly.

I merely rolled my eyes and we continued to the cable car station to meet Chris. It was time to begin the annual winter getaway on Blackwood Mountain.


	4. Chapter Two

**Author's Note** : Question Numero Uno: Who do y'all want to die? I'm thinking about killing off around 4 of them. Two are already decided. I need a bit of help with the other two. So just comment or PM me who you wish to go to the chopping block. Question Numero Dos: HOW AM I DOING, Y'ALL?! I'm down for suggestions about who you want to see more or and less of and stuff that should happen. So lemme know!

And I think that's about it. I'd like to thank everyone who is keeping up with this story and wish them a wonderful day! SO GO READ! :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. Still. They still go to Supermassive. Dammit.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Two_

We walked up to the cable car station, hand in hand. It was quiet except for the howling of the icy wind. I was _really_ regretting not wearing my winter coat. Not to mention the fact that the vision was still haunting me.

Something about it wasn't right. _Nothing_ about it was right.

How was I able to see it but Sam wasn't? Why was the raven important? Why were Jess and Mike having a snowball fight? There were too many questions that plagued my brain, but I didn't have the courage to ask them. Not only was the totem freaking me out, but last year's events were still fresh in my mind, after truly settling on the fact that I was back.

Sam squeezed my hand when she caught my gaunt expression and we kept moving towards the station. On the bench sat a backpack, which I assumed was Chris's. Only Chris was nowhere in sight.

"Chris?" Sam called out tentatively. "Are you here?"

We approached the bag and I glanced over at Sam. Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. "His bag's here, but where's he…?"

I shrugged when she looked at me.

"You're not _in_ that bag, are you, Chris?!" Sam called out and a laughed a bit at her attempted joke. Then a slight sound caught our attention. It was a vibration coming from the backpack. Chris's phone was sticking out of the outermost pocket on the bag.

"Hello, what do we have here…?" Sam murmured. She reached unwound her hand from mine and reached out to grab the phone, then stopped. She looked at me for guidance. "Should I?"

I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. "Nah. It's probably a text from his mom, reminding him to eat his veggies or somethin'."

Sam offered me a faint smile. "Yeah, you're right," she said as she zipped the pocket up.

"You know, that probably _wasn't_ my mom reminding me to eat my veggies. But thanks for not being nosy," said a voice behind us.

Sam and I turned around to see Chris and we both smiled widely. He grinned back. "Sam! Percy! Hey, you guys made it! Long time, no see, dude and Sam."

I shook Chris's hand, and he pulled me in for a hug. We clapped each other on the back and grinned when we pulled away. "Dude what _happened_ to your hair?" he asked, grinning a bit.

I glanced at Sam subconsciously and saw her stiffen up a bit. I decided I'd tell Chris what happened later. No reason to embarrass her again. "I lost a bet to April. It's nice, right?"

"Sure, whatever floats your boat, man…" he muttered.

Chris went for his backpack as he spoke. "Oh! So, I found something kinda amazing," he said as he shouldered it.

"What…?" asked Sam curiously.

"I'm not gonna tell you, you gotta see for yourself. C'mon, this way!" Chris began to lead the way around the cable car station. Sam and I looked at each other and shrugged, following him.

"Where?" my blonde companion asked, clearly not wanting a surprise.

"Right around here. Gonna blow your mind," said Chris as he imitated his head blowing up.

I snorted a bit. Around the back of the station, we had a clear view of the cable. The car was just barely in view and moving much too slowly for my tastes. The sooner I got into the Lodge by the fire, the better.

Chris stopped in front of a…shooting range? There was a stand set up with sandbags hanging in the distance, as well as barrels with bottles stacked on top. On the stand sat a hunting rifle.

"Ta-da!" said Chris, spreading his arms wide as he looked at us. "Pretty rad, right?"

Sam rolled her eyes at me and looked at Chris with raised eyebrows. "Yeeeaaah."

"Oh, c'mon! Look at these beauties! Percy?" He looked at me expectantly.

I shrugged. "I think it's pretty sweet," I admitted.

Chris cheered and Sam just muttered, "Uhh, 'beauties' is not the first word that comes to mind. Why is this even here?"

Chris and I looked at Sam with bewildered expressions. "Have you ever _met_ Josh's dad?" I asked.

"Yeah…"

"He thinks he's like, Grizzly Adams, or something." Chris picked up the rifle and held it out to me, "Wanna try?"

I shrugged and nodded, "Sure," then glanced at Sam as I took the rifle and held it out to her. "Ladies first."

Sam smirked at me and crossed her arms. "You go ahead, Grizzly."

I raised an eyebrow and sauntered up to the shooting range. "Watch and learn, folks, the master's at work." I heard Sam laugh and Chris just thumped me over the head. I muttered a half-hearted 'ouch' and aimed for the first sandbag.

After settling my eye down the sights, I fired the gun, nailing the sandbag on the bull's-eye. I grinned and cocked the rifle again. I took a few more shots, each hitting the target dead center. I even shot a couple empty beer bottles.

Chris whistled beside me and Sam was on the other side of his with a mildly surprised look on her face. "I'm going to go ahead and guess that was a wild case of beginner's luck."

"Don't think so," I said, hefting up the gun. "I used to go to target practice with my Uncle Frank. He's a hunting fanatic." When Sam frowned, I quickly continued. "But I've never shot an animal in my life. He just taught me how to shoot, that's all."

Sam looked at me skeptically. "I promise," I said and she seemed to relax a bit.

A squirrel was up on one of the barrels now, but I aimed for a sandbag instead. I wasn't lying when I'd said I'd never shot an animal. And I definitely wasn't going to start now. I was lined up with the bull's-eye for the sandbag, when Chris muttered in my ear, "Dude, she's got you whipped."

My shot jerked way out of place and I missed the sandbag altogether, dropping the gun and sending a withering look at Chris. He was cracking up and Sam was smirking at me. "As I said: beginner's luck."

I shoved the gun at Chris and muttered, "You're an ass," and he laughed again.

"Okay, okay, my turn."

"You shoot, Chris?" said Sam skeptically.

"Is that disbelief I hear?" sing-songed Chris.

"I'll believe you can hit a target when I see it."

Chris lined up the gun and hit the sandbag that I'd been going for the last time and hit it a bit off-center, but still pretty close.

"Nice shot," conceded Sam.

Chris hefted the rifle up in the air with a triumphant smirk. "Your ass just got saaaacked!"

Sam scoffed and glanced up suddenly. "Hey, sharpshooter, Grizzly, our ride's coming."

"Aw, but I just got my turn!" whined Chris. "Just one more shot."

"Come _on_ , Chris, the cable car!"

"Fine," relented Chris and he set the gun down, shouldering his backpack again. "Follow me, my loyal subjects."

I rolled my eyes and fell into step next to Sam, hands jammed in my jeans pockets, thinking about what Chris had said. _He's right, man,_ said the voice in the back of my head, _She's got you good._

 _Shut up_ , I told it.

I would have run into Chris if I hadn't noticed Sam stopping beside me. They were both looking at something on the side of the station. There was a flying tacked up to a board. It was a wanted poster for a man named Victor Milgram. Wanted for arson and various death threats. Sounded like a pretty nice guy, if I did say so myself.

"Aw, man, look at this…" said Sam, a bit of disbelief lacing her voice.

"Niiice," snorted Chris. "Think we'll get a visit from America's most wanted?"

"That's not even funny, man," I muttered at the same time as Sam said, "Looks like someone thought so." I couldn't help but notice a touch of concern in her tone. I reached out and squeezed her hand subtly, hoping to god Chris wouldn't notice.

But, besides Josh, Chris _was_ my best friend, and seemed to glance down at our tangled fingers. When he looked back up at me, there was a ghost of a smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow, his expression saying ' _We're talking about this later_ ' and I suppressed a groan of annoyance. If he was going to pressure me about Sam, he could be damn sure I was going to do the same to him about Ashley.

After shaking his head almost unnoticeably, Chris said, "Oh, come on, this place is abandoned most of the year. Nobody comes up here."

Sam didn't look too convinced and she squeezed my hand back, then released it, heading for the front of the station. I followed her in tow and Chris came up beside me.

"When are you going to do something about her, bro?" he muttered, quiet enough so Sam didn't hear.

"When are you going to do something about Ash?" I shot back and Chris looked a bit conflicted at that.

"It's not the same, man. I don't know…I dunno if Ash feels the same way, y'know? But Sam _clearly_ does. Honestly, I think the only one who doesn't notice is you. You gotta jump on that before some other guy does, and trust me. College guys are gonna be all over that."

"Great. Nice talk, man. Thanks for the boost."

Chris merely shrugged. "It's the truth."

We approached Sam, who was jiggling the door handle and peering in the window to the station. "The door's locked," she informed us.

"Yeah," said Chris. "Josh wanted us to keep it locked, keep people out."

"He said that? What people? What happened to 'This place is abandoned most of the year. Nobody comes up here,'?" said Sam in a terrible imitation of Chris's voice that was so bad, I cracked up laughing.

Chris looked annoyed and rolled his eyes. "I – I dunno. He said they found people sleeping in the station one time."

"Creepy," noted Sam.

"So now you concede that it's creepy," I said.

"Shut up," she responded.

I wandered over to an old ski resort map while Chris tried to find his key and Sam fiddled with the door. In what I hoped was red pain was a message across the span of the entire sign: _"THE PAST IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL"._

"Hey, Sam, Chris…did you guys see this map?"

Sam came over while Chris produced a key from his pocket.

"Yeah," grunted Chris, as he slid the key into the slot, "Freaky, huh? I saw that when I got here."

"This is definitely weird," murmured Sam and I offered a half smile.

"At least we like Halloween."

" _You_ like Halloween."

"That's what I said."

Sam rolled her eyes and the two of us walked back over to Chris, who pushed open the door. "After you ladies," he said, with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

"Why, thank you kind, sir," I said in a mock falsetto voice, prompting Sam to laugh.

"Awh, a true gentleman," said Sam between breaths.

The three of us entered the station, only to find the cable car was still a ways out. I stared at the cable car as the magnitude of the situation hit me. We were back. I was going to go up to Blackwood Mountain, where all of my old friends waited. The original prank crew, Josh, and my sister.

I gripped the edge of the metal railing and the cold of the substance bit into the palms of my hands. They were slowly going numb, but I didn't let go.

"Man," said Chris behind me, "It is…it is definitely weird coming back up here after a whole year."

"Yeah," agreed Sam, who was suddenly beside me. "I swear the moment I got up here, it all came flooding back."

I couldn't agree more with either of them, but I couldn't find the heart to speak, either. My entire body was frigid as I watch the cable car intensely, slowly coming down the rails.

I finally found my voice a moment later. "A year goes fast," I said quietly, and Sam's hand found my shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

"You know, I thought the car was closer," muttered Sam, sounded a bit irritated.

"Guess we gotta wait," replied Chris.

"I'm starting to get the appeal of killing time at the shooting range. How long is this gonna take?"

"It's a big mountain," noted Chris.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I muttered.

"I heard that!"

"It is a big mountain. It's beautiful in the day, but at night it just feels menacing. Like…" Sam struggled to find her words. "Like a sleeping giant."

I smiled genuinely at Sam. The girl had a hell of a way with words, there was no denying that. That, and all of her other traits that basically had me over the moon with her.

Chris came up on the other side of Sam, a sideways grin on his face. "You gonna publish?"

"What?"

"Your pretty poem. 'The Sleeping Giant of Blackwood Mountain.'"

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Chris to turn something deep into a joke. His sense of humor knew no bounds.

"I think it was a pretty good analogy."

"Oh, shut up, Chris." She smiled at me. "Thanks, Percy."

Chris leaned back behind Sam to look at me and made a whipping motion. I rolled my eyes and leaned on the railing as the cable car finally stopped in front of us.

"Finally," muttered Sam and she was the first one inside. "You coming?"

I followed her and sat down beside her while Chris said, "Well, I was gonna catch some Zzzz's, but…okay."

He entered as well and sat opposite us, shutting the cable car door. The car shuddered and we slowly began to move upwards.

"Here we go!" said Sam, her voice full of forced excitement.

"Right! Adventure begins," said Chris, his tone the same way.

"I hope this was the right thing to do," I said.

Sam sighed. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"What?" asked Chris, clearly a bit confused.

I glanced at Sam, who was looking at me, and I nodded for her to continue.

"You know, getting everyone together on the anniversary. I mean, Josh seemed real pumped about us all doing something, didn't he?" said Sam.

"Yeah, no," said Chris, "He definitely did. I haven't seen him so excited about something in…forever."

"Good, good. It's hard to tell with him and I…I've kinda been worried."

I felt a spike of jealousy surge up my spine and I swallowed down some rude remark that was boiling in the back of my brain. I stiffened up a bit, and Sam sent me confused look because we were so close, our arms and legs were brushing. She must have felt me go rigid. I sent her a forced smile and she frowned before looking away.

Chris watched both of us with amusement before clearing this throat. "No, no it was…it was a good idea."

"I hope everyone else feels the same way."

"We're all here aren't we?"

Sam rolled her eyes and says, "Yeah, I guess…Thanks, bro, good talk!" She exaggerated the 'bro' and I couldn't help but grin a bit.

"You know what? Let's just…Let's just stop talking about what happened and enjoy the trip," said Chris, a bit of frustration leaking into his tone.

"You know what, you're right," said Sam with a sigh. There was a bit of tension in the cable car and I shifted a bit further from Sam, who sent another frown my way.

"Do you know how we met?" I said suddenly. I wasn't sure why, but I needed to end the thick silence. It was getting to me.

"Who?" asked Sam.

"Me, Chris, and Josh." The last person I wanted to talk about was Josh, given Sam's…ah, _feelings_ for him, but it was the first story I thought of.

Chris grinned at me. "Ah, yes, that's a good one."

"How'd you all meet?"

"Third grade. I sat in the back with Josh. There was one kid between us. Chris sat up front. We had no idea that any of us existed, right? So the kid between me and Josh leans forward one day and strap snaps the training bra on the girl in front of him. So the teacher moved the kid to the front where Chris was sitting."

"Yeah, so?" prompted Sam.

"So," I said, "Chris was moved to the back."

"And…?" continued Sam, clearly not satisfied.

" _And_ ," cut in Chris, "Right in between Josh and Percy! That's how we met and became friends. To this day."

"The Three Musketeers. It was destiny," said Sam sarcastically.

"If it weren't for the fact that Jeanie Simmons hit puberty like three years early and on that day decided to wear a low cut shirt that showed off her training bra…I mean, who knows? You could be riding in this cable car alone. Right now. Or talking to some other people entirely. Boom: Butterfly Effect," finished Chris.

I winced at the mention of the Butterfly Effect, which reminded me of the totem. The vision ran itself through my memory again and I pushed it aside. I'd address it when it was important.

We were almost to the top of the mountain. The three of us rode the next five minutes or so in silence, looking out the window, taking in the scenery. Except for Chris, who was muttering about losing service.

Sam had moved a bit closer to me, quite stealthily might I add, because I felt her brush up next to me as she looked out my side of the window. She'd taken off her Russian (is it really Russian though? I'd have to look into that) hat and her hair was in a messy ponytail, drifting over her shoulder. A couple strands escaped to frame her face in the dull moonlight that was left.

Chris wasn't paying attention (thank God), as I reached my hand up and gently brushed a piece of free hair behind her ear. She turned to look at me from where she was, mere inches from my face, our noses nearly touching.

There was a faint tint of red to her cheeks and each time she took a breath, it ghosted across my face. I fought back a bit of a shudder, and it may have been my imagination, but her eyes dipped to my lips for a brief moment before trailing my face.

Then the cable car came to a jerking stop and Sam pulled back abruptly. Chris was looking between the two of us with narrowed eyes.

"Right!" said Sam. Her voice was an octave higher, I swear. "Let's get up to the Lodge."

She was the first one off the cable car and Chris gave me a weird look. "What'd you do, man?"

"Why do you automatically assume that I did something?"

"Because I highly doubt Sam's going to make a move in a _cable car_ ," said Chris.

"And I highly doubt she's going to make a move _at all_ ," I shot back.

Chris smirked and got out of the car, shooting me a devilish grin. "That's what you think. C'mon, you casanova, you. Let's go before the cable car leaves you behind."

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. Sam was already by the door.

I sighed. An entire weekend with Sam. With Sam, surrounded by couples. The only two ones who were _actually_ single. Chris and Ash didn't count.

This weekend was going to be the death of me.

Little did I know, it'd be the death of some others too. Except, in a literal sense.


	5. Chapter Three

**Author's Note** : Alright. So. Not a lot of feedback on who to kill. Just know it's not too late. I'll always take your suggestions into consideration. No idea is a dumb idea. Unless it's really freaking stupid. Just kidding. Anyway. I'll have to go off my best judgment on who to send to the chopping block. I have a few planned, but my problem is I want four dead - but I don't want to kill one more person. It's so hard. I like...most of them. It's rough.

Right! So thanks for R&R'ing, favoriting, and just looking at this is general. We've hit over 1,000 views on this story, and for only four chapters in, the first being ridiculously short, I think that's pretty good. Only a bout a fifth have really stayed with it, but you guys are the real MVPs. So keep me posted on what you want more or less of and we'll be golden. Any kind of response is the best kind of response (unless you're a jerk). :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I'm chairman of Supermassive Games. Oh wait. No I'm not. But I should be.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Three_

Chris and I followed Sam up to the door and she was jiggling the handle, frowning. I felt like I was having déjà vu.

"Ugh, why are all these doors locked?!" grunted Sam as she pounded at the window.

We all started to pound on the glass and a second later, Jessica appeared, staring at us like we'd dropped from space. Her eyes met mine through the window and narrowed slightly. I ignored her. Honestly, that girl didn't deserve the time of day. Especially not _my_ time.

But she was also involved in my vision. And I'd have to talk to her sometime. Now was as good a time as ever, I supposed.

"Jess! Hey!" Chris yelled through the glass.

Sam followed suit. "Jessica! Over here!"

Jess frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Are you guys having a really weird stroke?"

"We're stuck in this stupid thing," explained Chris.

"Could you let us out, pretty please?" asked Sam and I nearly melted at the sweetness of her voice. Oh yeah. She'd be the death of me.

"Come on, Jess," I found myself saying. "Please let us out?"

Jess's eyes landed on me and a bit of surprise laced her expression. I hadn't spoken to her in months, after all. I hadn't gotten around to forgiving her, either, because the entire prank on Hannah had been her idea. But I could tell she was almost relieved to hear me talk to her.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess." Jessica must've hit the button, because a moment later, the latch clicked and Sam pushed the door open.

"Oh. My. God," said Chris dramatically. "I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there, and I would have chewed off my own leg."

"Aw, sick, Chris," groaned Sam.

"That's pretty nasty, dude," I agreed.

"What?" he said defensively. "Look, I got a lot of meat on my bones. This is all muscle down here."

"Yeah, riiight," said Sam, smirking. "Uh-huh."

Chris rolled his eyes and suddenly, something caught his attention. A moment later, he lunged for something in Jess's hand, and held it up a moment later. "Bwip!"

"Hey!" Jess reached for the letter, but Chris held it high above his head.

"Well well well…what do we have here?"

"Chris!" whined Jess and I folded my arms, sniggering a bit. Sam backhanded my chest and glared half-heartedly at me.

"It's not nice to laugh."

"You're smirking," I noted.

"You're insufferable."

"You're intolerable," I shot back and Sam raised her eyebrow.

"You're unbearable."

"You're detestable."

"You're despicable."

"You're –"

Chris cut me off, "I hate to interrupt this little flirt-fest going on over here, but I believe I've recovered a very important document." He still had the piece of paper. "As you two were shamelessly flirting, I discovered that Jessica here has a crush on our dear friend, Michael Munroe."

Jess made a grab for the note. "Give that back, you tool!"

"Tool and die, that's my motto," said Chris with a cheeky grin.

"Ugh, you're such an idiot." Jessica snatched the note. "Maybe nosy nancies shouldn't go nosin' around in other people's…nostrils…"

I raised an eyebrow and tried to not to laugh, while Chris looked at both me and Sam with a priceless look. "Um, yeah," he said, "I try not to do that. As a rule."

"C'mon, Jess," coaxed Sam. "You can tell us. We can totally keep secrets."

"Whatever," she huffed. "You'll figure it out eventually."

"That you and Mike are dating?" I said nonchalantly.

Jessica blanched and turned on me. "How'd you know that?"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "It's painfully obvious. You had a thing for me and Mike going way back. Since he ditched Em, and I wasn't talking to you, I figured you'd be second in line to do the horizontal tango with good ole' Mike Munroe."

Jessica's face turned a bright scarlet, brighter than I'd ever seen Sam blush. Her mouth was moving but no sound was coming out. Finally she said, "I didn't have a thing for you!"

I gave her a pointed look.

"You were just too blind to realize it…" she muttered and I shrugged.

"I know now."

"A year too late."

"Darn," I said, faking sadness. "What a shame. Such a tragedy that I can't slam the ham with you, Jess."

"You are such an ass," she said and I cocked an eyebrow.

"Because you're such a princess."

She looked like she was about to come up with a retort, but Chris interjected.

"Yeah, yeah, you two can argue about 'what could have been' and all that shit when we get back up to the Lodge. I'm getting tired of all this nature and junk."

I nodded and noticed that Sam had gone over the safety railing and was looking out over the view of the scenery.

"Uh-huh, you guys go ahead," said Jess, giving me a one-over, and then a stink-eye, which I'm not really sure why she'd check me out only to glare at me. But whatever. "I'm just gonna wait here for a bit…see who else is coming…"

"You mean Mike?" asked Chris with mock innocence. I snorted.

"What?! Yeah, I mean, you know, whoever…" Jess muttered. She went back to sitting over the bench, just out of earshot. Thank god.

I walked over to Sam and leaned on the railing beside her.

"You could have been nicer," she murmured, not looking at me.

"You're right. I could have. But it's her fault Hannah and Beth are gone. And I'm not sure if I'll ever get over that."

"I know," she said quietly. "Did Jess really have a thing for you?"

I shrugged. "Subtle hints here and there. Winks, one-overs, flirty comments, the whole nine yards. I had a pretty good idea after Josh pointed it out to me."

"Why didn't you go for it?"

I held back a smile, just barely. "Because she's not the one."

"And how do you know she's the one? What if she is? What if she's millions of miles away?" Sam teased.

"Trust me," I said, this time, not able to keep myself from grinning, "She's closer than you think."

Our eyes met briefly and Sam looked away first, a bit of color rising to her cheeks.

Chris's voice broke the moment a second later. Thanks, Chris.

"Hey! Mr. and Mrs. Anthony! You guys coming or what?"

"Yeah," I hollered back, chancing a glance at Sam, who looked quite embarrassed. "We're coming."

Sam and I made our way back to Chris, but I stopped a moment, glancing at Jess.

"Jess!" She looked at me, clearly a bit shocked, and still a bit pissed at my earlier comments. "Don't hit the raven," I warned.

Then I turned back to Chris and Sam and we began up the path.

"What was that about?" Sam asked me as we started our trek.

"Just a feeling," I replied shortly, not wanting to elaborate.

Sam gave me concerned look, but didn't say anything else.

So we continued up the mountain. And this time, we were actually going _up_ the path. Up the mountain.

I mean, I was a swimmer, basketball player, and a sprinter in track, but most of that was during the spring and the fall. Basketball was the only thing I had in the winter and it hadn't really picked up yet. The mountain was proving that I hadn't truly worked out in a long time.

Ahead of me, Chris was breathing quite heavily. Sam was next, keeping pace right with Chris. I took up the back, making sure neither of them got off course.

The wind was progressively getting colder and my backpack was feeling heavier and heavier. The last thing I needed was to be weighed down by the stupid thing, but it wasn't like I could just drop it. My fingers were numb and so were my feet, indicating that I probably should get into heat soon. Yeah. Heat sounded nice.

"Man, this mountain feels bigger every time I climb it," groaned Chris.

"Oh, yeah?" said a familiar voice. "Feels the same to me."

Up ahead of us, on the path, were two familiar faces. One was the face of one of my best friends, Josh Washington. The other was my sister, April.

"Oh, come on," grunted Chris as he stretched. "You grew up here. Probably feels like it's shrinking."

Josh chuckled a bit and said, "I guess that's true."

April glanced past Josh's shoulder at me and raised an eyebrow. "A sweatshirt? Percy, it's nearly below zero out here, and you're in your Iron Man sweatshirt?"

"I like this sweatshirt!" I said.

"You won't like it when you have frostbite," she chided and slipped over to me, hugging me. "It's nice to see you, Percy."

I hugged my sister back and rested my head on hers. "It's good to see you too, sis."

I felt April shift her head so she saw Sam beside me. "Hi, Sam!"

Sam smiled back and waved. "Hey, April!"

"Awh!" came Chris's sarcastic voice. "If you're done being all cute with your brotherly and sisterly love, can we please keep going? And when are you going to install some cell towers up here? I'm getting withdrawals already."

"You got a spare million lying around and I'll fix you right up," quipped Josh. A second later, my sister sidled up to him and the couple's fingers intertwined as we continued up the path. I suppressed the urge to go throw up in a hedge.

"They're so cute, it's sickening," I muttered.

Sam shrugged; I hadn't realized she'd come up beside me.

She didn't reply for a second, and watched as Chris joked with Josh and Josh sent a smirk over his shoulder at him before dropping a kiss to my sister's hair.

"I dunno. Josh needs something good in his life, ya know? I don't want to see or hear about it, but I'm happy for them. April's a gift to him."

"Why do you always have to be right?"

Sam frowned and wrinkled her nose. "I'm not always right."

"You're usually right."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

" _You're_ the one who's usually right."

"So if I say it's really cute when you wrinkle your nose like that, you'd agree with me?"

Sam let out a huff of annoyance mixed with embarrassment and stormed on ahead of me. I smiled and jogged to catch up.

It was only a second later before we came up on Josh, Chris, April, Matt, and Ashley.

Chris and Josh were heading for the door and April was talking animatedly with Ashley. The two had gotten close after losing Beth and Hannah last year, and I was happy about it. Ashley and Matt were the only two who truly seemed sorry about what happened to the girls, and April and I were quick to forgive them.

Matt was sulking off to the side, which left me and Sam to stand together. Sam was leaning on the wooden fence, looking down the path we'd just come.

I looked between the two, then wandered over to Matt. "Hey, man. Long time."

Matt gave me a weak smile when he saw me. "Yeah, it's been a while. How've you been?"

"Pretty good, yourself?"

"I've been decent."

The conversation got a bit awkward more quickly than I'd anticipated, but I was curious about him and Emily. I wasn't giving up.

"So," I prompted, "You and Emily? Is that a thing…?"

"You'll have to define thing for me," he snorted.

"You guys pounding the fruit?"

Matt gave me a blank look and I rolled my eyes.

"Bumpin' uglies? Riding the cowboy? The hanky panky? The horizontal tango –"

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Because you're clearly not up on sex lingo, my friend."

Matt rolled his eyes with a half smile. "Yeah, if that's your definition of 'thing', it's definitely happening. But at the moment, I don't know."

I winced on Matt's behalf. Emily was a bitch. And a skank. And a whore. Matt was a nice guy; he deserved better. But I figured telling him that would result in the punch to the face, so I went the empathetic route. "Ouch, man, that sucks. You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," he confessed.

I shrugged, shoving my hands in my pockets. "Well if you do, I'm your guy."

"Thanks, Percy."

"Anytime, Matt."

I walked back over to Sam, who was smiling at me. "Making friends, I see."

"Just tryin' to reacquaint myself with everyone."

"You skipped Ashley."

"Something tells me if I told Chris that I 'reacquainted' myself with Ash, he _might_ just kick my ass. Or, you know, try to."

"Right, because you're Mister Macho."

"Yes, that it correct," I agreed and Sam laughed a bit.

"Well, I think you should." Sam glanced over her shoulder. "She's even done talking with April. Go talk to her, okay? For me."

I narrowed my eyes playfully. "You think just because you said 'for me' that I'll go."

"Was I wrong?"

I sighed. "…Not exactly."

Sam laughed and pushed my shoulder. "Then go!"

I reluctantly turned away from Sam and walked over to where Ashley sat on the stairs. To the right, Chris, Josh, and April were talking animatedly and going around the back of the Lodge.

"Where are they going?"

Ashley glanced up at me and smiled. "Door's frozen. They're going to break in."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Not if you're the person who owns it."

Ashley stood up and I hugged her. It was a nice hug, one of friendship, nothing more. Ash knew that too; she was one of the first ones to guess about my thing for Sam.

"I missed you, Percy," she said as we sat down, side by side, on the stairs. "It's been a couple months!"

"I know," I said. "Time just seems to get away from you, y'know?"

"All too well," she agreed.

We were both silent for a moment until I glanced over and saw Ashley grinning at me like an idiot. "What?"

"Chris told me you got here with Sam. How'd that happen?" she teased, bumping my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and grinned, "Jeez, Ash, no chill. Straight to the point, huh?"

"We'd get nowhere if I wasn't!"

"Yeah. Yeah, Sam and I were on the bus up here. We came together."

"Mhm. And are you dating yet?"

"Does it look like we're dating?" I sniped.

"No, it looks like you're dancing around your feeling for each other like little bitches," Ashley snapped right back. The girl was a savage.

"Just like you and Chris?" I said innocently and Ashley slapped my arm.

"This is nothing like me and Chris!"

"Yeah, it kinda is!"

"Fine! You know what? I'll make you a deal. You make a move on Sam this weekend, and I will on Chris. Rules: You have to go first. I have to present or Sam must confirm that something happened. Then we'll see what happens."

I looked at her skeptically. "Really?"

"Really," Ash confirmed. "Two birds with one stone."

"Right," I said. "Ash, you're a girl" – "Last I checked." – "So if I were going to make a hypothetical move on a hypothetical girl this weekend, how would one go about it? Hypothetically, of course."

Ashley grinned at me and clasped her hands together. "So, hypothetically speaking, wait until you're alone. Or you think you're alone. Anyway, alone is good. Make sure there's a bit of mood lighting. Be real slick, complimenting her often. And when the time is right – and trust me, you'll know when that is – make your move. Kiss her, ask her on a date, whatever. Just _do_ it."

"You give good hypothetical advice, Ash." I said with a genuine smile.

She returned my smile with a quirky grin and she pushed my shoulder, just like Sam had done minutes ago. "Now go talk to her. I've taught you all I know."

I stood up and put my hands together, bowing to Ashley. "Thank you, senpai. Your advice is revered."

Ashley laughed and motioned for me to go. I chuckled a bit too, and went to go over to Sam, but something on the ground caught my eye. It was another one of those totems. I held my breath and glanced around. Matt wasn't facing me and Ashley was resting her head in her hands. Sam still had her back to the rest of us.

I kneeled down and cautiously picked up the wooden object. On the other side, just like the last, was a black abyss in the shape of a butterfly. I took a deep breath and looked at the blackness.

 _I was looking at some type of machine. The background was dark and someone was standing in front of the structure. The person's fingers were caught inside of it. A moment later, something shiny darted past the fingers and chopped them clean off. There was a loud yell of pain, and the vision faded out._

I took a breath and shook my head. I was sturdier than the last time I'd looked at one of them. _And then it hit me that I just watched someone's fingers get amputated._

"Oh god. Oh my god. Oh my fucking god."

I shook my head and Sam, Ash, and Matt were by my side in a moment. I was kneeling down, hands on my knees, taking deep, yet shallow breaths. Sam placed a hand on my arm and Ashley had one on my other arm.

"Percy? Percy, are you alright?"

"Hey, man, you okay?" That was Matt.

"Percy, what happened!" That was Ashley.

"There…there was another one of those fucking totems."

Sam glanced down and saw the wooden object, making a face. She wrapped an arm around my waist and helped support a bit of my bodyweight. Ashley did the same on my other side and the two girls held me up. Matt was looking at me with his eyebrows creased.

"Come on, Percy. Let's get your mind off those totems, alright?"

I nodded weakly and we wandered over to where Sam had been standing a moment before. The girls released me and I leaned my weight on the wooden fence. My breathing had slowed, but could feel cold sweat rolling down my face. What hell had I just seen?

Before I could try to answer that question, Matt's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"What happened, bro?"

"The…the totem over there," I muttered.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Totem? Like…like Indians?"

"Yeah, just like that."

"What'd it do to you?"

I weighed my responses to that question. It was better to tell the truth, but I didn't want to freak them out. On the other hand, they were my friends, and they deserved my honesty.

So I told them the story about the first totem on the path and then this one. When I finished, they all stared at me like I was insane.

"You realize," began Ashley carefully, "that sounds…"

"Totally crazy," finished Matt.

"Yeah. I do," I muttered.

Matt shook his head and poked Ashley's shoulder. "C'mon. I want to talk to you about…the thing."

Sam and I looked at the two curiously as they went to sit on the stairs together.

"What thing…" I muttered.

"No idea," said Sam. There was a bit of silence between us, before Sam broke it."So, what kind of advice?"

"What?"

"What kind of advice did Ash give you?" repeated Sam.

I laughed a bit weakly. "Girl advice."

Sam raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Girl advice?"

I nodded. "Yep."

A freezing breeze swept through the clearing and I ground my teeth at the frigid wind. Beside me, Sam shivered and I rolled my eyes. "Remind me why you wore a skirt?" I asked as I slung my backpack off and dug around for my winter coat.

"I wanted to look good!"

"It's below zero!"

"It's _almost_ below zero," she corrected.

I suppressed a retort and pulled my red winter jacket out of my bag. I slid the coat around Sam's shoulders and pulled her into my chest, hugging her tightly. I ran my hands up and down her arm like I'd done the year before when Hannah and Beth ran off, trying to heat her up.

Sam leaned into my embrace, resting her head against my chest, and trapped her arms between my torso and her own. She was still shaking a bit even though body heat was radiating between the both of us. I risked a glance over to Ashley and Matt.

Matt was grinning at me. Ashley's eyes were a bit wide and she gave me a thumbs up.

I shook my head at the two and smiled to myself.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" Sam's muffled voice floated up towards me, suppressed by my sweatshirt.

"You're keeping me pretty warm right now," I admitted.

I felt her stiffen up a bit in my arms and go to move away, but I kept my hold tight. She met my eyes and I looked down at her. A hint of red colored her cheeks and her eyes looked huge.

"Sam, it's not a bad thing," I said. I brought one knuckle up and swept a piece of hair from her eyes. "I know you're skeptical. You always have been. You were in the ninth grade when the captain of our junior varsity football game asked you to the homecoming, and you said _no_ because you thought it was a nasty joke. You underestimate yourself, Sam."

She tore her gaze away from mine and seemed to be internally debating with herself. She came to a decision though, because a moment later she pulled away from me completely. I let her go with a sigh, calling out to her, "Sam –"

But she didn't let me finish. "No, Percy…just…stop. Please." She took a shaky breath and pulled my coat tighter around her shoulder. "Just…I need time. To think. And right now…now's not a good time, okay? We're all together on the anniversary, and I don't think it's right."

I tried to find a way to respond, but Ashley interrupted us. "Matt! Lovebirds! Chris is unfreezing the door!"

Matt, Sam, and I made our way over and up the stairs. April and Josh rounded the corner a moment later, looking a bit…disheveled. I made a strangled sound in the back of my throat when I saw both of them covered in snow and April's hair messed up, a twig sticking out of it. I didn't want to know what was going back there. Nope, not at all.

I saw Chris in the window. A warm glow illuminated his face a second later, and then the door swung open. Chris mock-bowed and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week –"

Then _something_ ran through the door. I yelped and jumped out of the way. There was a loud, girly scream, and I'm pretty sure it was Chris.

Ashley and Sam were laughing, and Matt was grinning slightly behind me.

"Jeez!" said Chris. "Crap, that thing freaked me out!"

"What the hell was that?!" I asked, trying slow my heartbeat. I was not proud that Chris and I were the ones freaking out like little girls.

"Are you guys okay?" Ashley asked between breaths, still cracking up.

"It was like a bear, or a tiger, or something –"

"Awh, it was just a cute little baby wolverine!" said Sam.

"Baby?!" Chris said at the same time I said, "Cute?!"

"Don't worry guys, you'll both be big boys soon," said Josh as he came up behind us. He and April swept into the Lodge, hand in hand. "One day, I'll own this place," he mused, "And me and my beautiful wife will live here." He bent down to kiss April.

A chorus of 'Awwww's were heard.

I fought the urge to throw up.

"Home sweet home," I muttered as I kicked the snow off my boots.

"Sweet is not exactly the word I'd use," said Matt, who was standing right next to me.

I cracked a grin at him and he smiled back.

So there we all were. Ready for a weekend stay at the Washington Estate. A weekend of relaxation, movies, a bit of unavoidable arguing, and friendship (and probably some steamy romantic stuff).

But of course, nothing _ever_ went our way.


	6. Chapter Four

**Author's Note** : Last night, I watched The Visit, and I couldn't sleep all night. Here's your chapter as a result. Please know that I'm exhausted, but it was totally worth it. So many chapters done. R&R and...all that jazz. Y'all know the drill by now. (Sorry for reposting, I found a problem that needed fixed.)

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. Props to them for using wendigos and not creepy-ass (literally) old people.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Four_

"Oh my _gosh_ , it is go good to be inside," gushed Ashley. "Even if it is still kinda freezing in here."

Chris leaned over to me as we walked inside. "I'll bet you twenty bucks Jess and Emily get in a cat fight within two minutes of seeing each other."

I eyed him with a grin and shook his outstretched hand. "My money's on thirty seconds."

Chris raised an eyebrow and whistled a bit. "A bit of a risk taker, eh?"

"You're the risk taker for betting so long."

He shrugged. "We'll see."

"I'll get a fire going," I heard Josh say.

I walked over to my friend and slapped him on the back. "I'll help," I volunteered.

Josh grinned at me, "Just like last year, eh?"

I snorted. "Except my help was April who did everything _except_ help."

Josh grinned. "Yeah, well, we still got some of the wood that you chopped last year left over. C'mon, it's out by the back door." Josh looked at everyone else gathered in the living room. "You guys play nice while Percy and I get the wood, got it?"

"Aye aye, captain!" said Chris as he saluted each of us.

So Josh and I went to go get the wood. I followed him and he struck up a conversation. "So, Percy, how've you been, man?"

I shrugged. "Pretty decent. It's been a quick year."

"It sure has," Josh agreed. "I hear you came up with Sam."

"Who hasn't heard that I came up with Sam?"

"I dunno, man, but I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Chris about Ashley. Look around you, bro. We're in the mountains, a beautiful, scenic area. Sam's a nature lover – perfect already. There are zero parents around. You gotta go for it, Perce! C'mon, you can't tell me she doesn't look hot today."

"Well, I –" I began.

"No, don't think about it. For once, think with your _other_ head."

I made a face as I realized what Josh was saying.

"Yeah," I finally relented. "Yeah, she looks – she looks great."

"Damn right, she looks great! So go for – whaddya call it? The horizontal tango? – go for the horizontal tango, man! You have to take advantage of this golden opportunity."

I didn't respond as we reached the pile of firewood. I held out my arms and Josh stacked some on them, and then he grabbed his own little load. We began to trek back through the house.

"So? Are you going to?" he grunted, clearly not going to let the subject drop.

"What about you and my sister? How many times have you taken advantage of this _golden_ opportunity?"

"As your friend, I am not at liberty to release that information. Also as your friend, and on a completely unrelated note, I recommend the master bedroom. That thing's springs are the bounciest motherfuckers and I promise it is the best love-making –"

I shut my eyes, trying to erase the visual image of Josh pounding my sister. "You can stop _any_ time."

Josh laughed and glanced at me over his shoulder. "Just stickin' up for you, man."

"Yeah well stick it up somewhere else." I paused. "Don't quote me on that."

We both laughed as we returned to the living room. Mike and Jess had finally returned, and Emily had shown up a well. And, of course, the two were arguing. I wonder how long it took them to start. Looks like I'd find out.

"Oh, did you not hear me?" Emily was saying, "Was your sluttiness too loud?"

"Oh boy," muttered Josh and I cracked up. The two of us went over to the fireplace as we listened to the two bicker.

"Sounds like someone's bitter she didn't make the cut," sniped Jess.

"Yeah, it's a big cattle call when it comes to that dreamboat. Congrats, you're top cow."

Over to the side, I heard Chris 'Ooooh' really lowly and I sniggered. Josh was smirking a bit too as he stacked up the wood I handed him.

"Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow."

Matt interjected a second later, try to defuse the situation. That _clearly_ wasn't going his way. "Em, come on –"

"Shut up, Matt!" snapped Emily.

"Stay out of it, you dumb oaf!" said Jess.

Aw. Poor Matt. I liked Matt. Of course, Super Bitch came to Matt's rescue. Lucky him, right?

"Hey!" Emily rounded on Jessica. "Watch it –"

"Oh, you're the only one who can put him down? No one else can play with your toys?"

I turned around and glanced at the two girls arguing, looking for Chris. Mike was sitting on the couch, seemingly entertained at his current and previous conquest duking it out. Matt was standing beside Emily, looking at a loss for words. Ashley and April were on the couch, cracking up. Sam was on the stairs. Finally, I spotted Chris. He was on the outskirts of the room, edging towards Josh and me.

"You're such a bitch!" Emily snarled.

"Whatever," said Jess, clearly about to blow off Emily. "I don't give a crap what you think."

Chris reached me just as Emily snapped off something about being on the honor roll. He slapped twenty bucks in my hand with a look of horror mixed with amusement in his eyes. "Literally. The _second_ they saw each other. The _second_ and they just went it at it like a couple wildcats. My god, man, you should have been here…each of them went from zero to one hundred real quick."

"Told you that you took a risk," I muttered.

"It was a calculated risk!" defended Chris, "…but I'm terrible at math…"

I snorted.

"You couldn't buy a loaf of moldy bread with your skanky ass!" Jess fired off.

Beside me, Chris muttered, "At least she has an ass…"

I snickered and the two of us broke into a fit of giggles.

"Emily, stop!" yelled Matt suddenly. Chris and I stopped laughing and eyed the three warily. "This is out of hand. There's no reason to fight like this!"

"Yeah, Em," cooed Jess, "Why you pickin' fights over your ex-boyfriend, huh?"

I never thought I'd miss the day where Jess and Emily were friends. Two skanks in a pod. And there I was, wishing the two would kiss and make up.

Josh clearly had the same notion, because he stood up and spun around, glaring at them. "STOP IT!" he yelled. This is not why we came up here! This is not…helping. It's not what I wanted. If we can't get along for ten minutes, then maybe we need a little bit of a break, right?" He looked at Mike, a brief look of conflict passing his face. "Mike, why don't you check out the guest cabin. The one I told you about."

Mike rolled his eyes and stood up, and I felt the urge to punch him. Don't get me wrong, I liked Mike, but the guy could be a bit of a dick. Especially when it came to what happened with Hannah. Especially when it came to girls in general. I knew the past was in the past, but still. Something about his demeanor pissed me off.

"Yeah…yeah, alright." He glanced at Jess and held out his hand. "Wanna go do that?"

"Any place without that whore," snipped Jess and she took Mike's hand. The two exited the room a moment later.

"It's right up the trail," Josh called after them, but they were already gone.

I looked at Chris. "Dude," he told me, "That shit hit the fan."

I shook my head and glanced at Matt who had his eyes glued to both of us. He imitated his head exploding. "Glad that's over." Chris and I snorted.

"Yeah," Josh agreed. He was back kneeling beside the fire, stacking the wood.

"So, uh, Josh should we get this fire started?" asked Matt.

Josh looked like he was about to respond when Emily spoke up. "Where's my bag?"

Matt glanced at his girlfriend. "Huh?"

"My bag…! The…the little bag with the pink pattern! The one I got on Rodeo!"Ah, yes. Emily's voice. I loved hearing it. It brought joy to my day. Oh wait.

Matt stared at her like she dropped from the moon.

"Matt, are you listening? Oh my god, don't you remember? Next to the Italian shoe place where I got the stilettos and you knocked over the rack while drooling all over that girl at the counter?"

"Well, I mean, she was asking about my letter jacket –" Matt began. Did he finish? Of course not. Why wouldn't Emily let the man form a coherent sentence? Because she's Super Bitch.

"Right, because she gave a shit about your 'designer' letter jacket," said Emily sarcastically.

"Why do you hate my jacket?"

"Matt, I need my bag!"

"Oh my god, Em, maybe you just forgot it –"

"Do you seriously think I'd forget my bag?"

"Well, I…"

"Do you?"

Matt sighed loudly and looked at me and Chris. His expression read ' _What did I do to deserve this?_ ' Then he looked back at his girlfriend. "Guess not."

"You must have left it down by the cable car station." That made Matt groan in annoyance.

"Come on, hun, we'll be back soon!" I snorted when Emily called Matt 'hun'.

"Then can we get warm?"

Emily raised an eyebrow and dragged a finger across Matt's chest as she started to leave the room. "Then we can get _very_ warm."

Chris mimicked gagging and Matt looked at us helplessly. I shrugged at him and wiggled my eyebrows, winking once.

Matt rolled his eyes in response. "Okay, okay, let's go." He reluctantly followed Emily out the door.

Sam stood up from her place on the stairs with an amused grin. "Okay, _I_ am going to go take a bath."

"D'you think I could join you?" I called out. Chris and Josh broke into snickers beside me.

"Hardy har, you're hilarious. I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me!"

"That doesn't answer my question!"

Sam flipped me the bird as she continued upstairs and I grinned slightly.

I turned to help with the fire to see Josh looking at me, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"What?"

"The hot water's not on," he stated.

"Yeah…" I said.

"So, Sam's gonna have to go down to the boiler in the basement to start it up. You know where the boiler is, don't you Percy?"

I nodded slowly, not really sure where he was going.

"Right. So you'll take Sam down to the basement. I'm going to stay here and keep working on the fire. And…and, Chris how do you feel about scaring the pants off Sam, literally, for our boy here?"

Chris raised both his eyebrows, smiling. "You know I'm down."

"Great!" said Josh, "So here's the idea…"

He told us both the plan and I slowly started grinning until there was a full blown smile on my face at the end. Josh looked at me. "So whaddya think?"

"I think it's brilliant," I said.

Sam began to come down the stairs a moment later and Josh said, calling out to both Ashley and April, who were in their own little conversation on the couch. "You know, I think we have a spirit board somewhere."

April was grinning when she looked at Josh and Ashley's smile kinda faltered into confusion. "A what?"

Chris began to speak his lines, like a true actor. "Wow you have a 'spirit board'? Those things are a joke, man, they don't do shit."

"No way, bro, we used to do it all the time! Me and…well…" Josh began to trail off. Luckily, Sam saved us all from an awkward silence.

"Hey! Josh! No hot water's kinda a major oversight, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just gotta fire up the boiler. It's in the basement." Josh points to Ashley and Chris. "You guys see if you can find the spirit board."

Ashley stood up off the couch and flashed a grin at Chris. "Chris, let's go find it! It'll be like a scavenger hunt!"

Chris stood up beside me and shot me and Josh a wink. "Um, okay, guess so."

"Rad," said Josh as the two walked off. "You aren't gonna regret it." He looked at me. "Perce, you wanna take Sam down to the boiler and get it running? Down the stairs, in the dresser drawer is the yellow flashlight, remember?"

I nodded, "Yeah, man. We'll go ahead." I stretched out my legs as I stood and looked at April. "You staying with your boyfriend?"

April got off the couch and went over to Josh, wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging him against her. "Where else would I be?" she teased.

"Oh, I dunno," I muttered, "Behaving somewhere far, far away from Josh Washington?"

April made a face at me and I started to follow Sam, who was already heading for the basement. "Don't forget protection, big brother," I heard her call and I sent a half-hearted glare over my shoulder.

Sam was leaning on the wall, waiting for me with a smirk. "After you."

I sent her a look and lead us down the stairs, grabbing the flashlight like Josh told me to. We headed through the corridor that led to the stairs and I flicked on the flashlight.

"It's been how many years, and Josh's basement still gives me the creeps," Sam muttered behind me.

I snorted derisively. "Agreed. Josh once dared me to come down here alone when we were younger. Had to stay a whole ten minutes. After five the darkness started to play tricks on my eyes. I've been messed up ever since."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"Thanks, Sam, your support never ceases to amaze me. Hey, watch your step coming down here."

"I think I can handle a set of stairs."

"Right, okay. Won't be saying that when you trip and fall."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

We walked to the edge of the stairs and I rounded the corner at the end of the corridor. Gripping the handles, I jerked the doors to the boiler open and they swung open with a loud creak. Leaning over, I studied the controls, trying to remember how the damn thing worked.

"Sorry Josh made you come down here with me," I grunted as I kneeled. "I know it's not the sharpest place for a first date."

I didn't see Sam's expression but I'd venture to say she rolled her eyes. "Just get the hot water running and there might be a second date."

I grinned at her as I stood up and walked over to the other contraption that Josh had shown me how to use years ago. "This place is giving me some serious chills. It may be from my PSTD from being trapped down here," I joked.

"I can see why. I'm seriously on edge over here."

"Definitely not a good place to be alone."

"Nope," she agreed.

I fiddled with some of the switches on the water pressure mechanism and Sam appeared a second later with a baseball bat toted on her arm. I rolled my eyes and went back to the controls before she asked, "How do I look?"

I glanced at her and nearly choked. She had one hip cocked and she posed with the bat, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face that I could only classify in three words: sexy as hell. I broke in to a wide grin a moment later, not taking my eyes off of her as they traveled her entire being. "Like a grand slam."

"Are you ever _not_ in smooth-talker mode when you're with me?" Her voice was high-pitched again, and I knew she was blushing heavily.

I pretended to think about it, stroking an imaginary goatee. "Now that I really ponder on it…no, no I don't think so." I didn't see Sam's reaction, I just pressed the white button on the water pressure machine and walked back over the boiler. I kneeled down again, holding the flashlight out for Sam. "Here, make yourself useful and pose with that. Beam down here, please and thank you."

I gave her a cheeky smile and turned back to the machine as a loud sound was heard somewhere in the basement. I fought back a grin, knowing Chris had arrived.

Sam swung the beam away from the boiler and flashed it on the other side of the room. "What was that?" There was a slight edge to her voice.

"What was what?" I asked casually. "And get the flashlight back over here, I can't see what I'm doing."

The light landed back on the boiler a moment later, only to be pulled away again. I groaned a bit. "Sam, the sooner I get this done, the quicker we can get out of this freaky-ass basement."

"Alright, alright," she relented and my work area was illuminated.

After flipping a few switches, I stood up and brushed off my hands. "I _think_ that should do the job. Now we gotta increase the water pressure…" I wandered back over to the other mechanism and studied it.

"Sounds kinda complicated," Sam noted.

"Nah, it's easy," I replied. "Now you stay here, and when I give you the signal, turn that knob, then press the white button when the red light comes on. Easy enough?"

Sam nodded.

I walked back over the boiler and nodded to her. "Now."

I heard the knob turn and the pressure increase. A second later, Sam hit the button, and the water pressure stabilized. The machine fired up, nice and loud.

"Whoa!" said Sam.

I walked over to her, grinning. "Nice job. Maybe if your future as a conservationist doesn't pan out, I think you have a chance at public hygienics."

"You mean plumbing?"

"That's a…less flattering word, but essentially, yeah!"

Sam rolled her eyes at me and I held up my hand for a high five. "But seriously, nice job."

With a huff, she slapped my hand. "Now can we please get out of here?"

I grinned with amusement and glanced around the basement, going back over to shut the boiler doors. "You're really freaked out right now aren't you?"

"No…I just…I don't like basement," she defended.

I walked back over with a grin and crossed my arms. "Uh-huh, riiight."

Just then, a weird noise echoed throughout the room. I could describe it, but it didn't sound, by any means, good. Which meant it was probably Chris.

Sam turned away from me, shining the flashlight towards the sound. "What the hell was that?"

"I – I dunno," putting a shake in my voice. "Could, uh, could be a lot of things, I guess." I took a silent step closer to her and put my face right next to her ear, "That could probably getcha!" I whispered and wrapped my arms around her waist.

Sam squealed and struggled against my grip. I let go while I laughed and she spun around, slapping me away.

"Quit it!" But there was humor behind her voice and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Man, you're really freaked out, aren't you?

"I am not scared," she said, crossing her arms.

"No? My bad, were you just jumping and struggling in my grasp to get your aerobics in for the day?"

"Oh my god," she said suddenly, "You were totally freaked out too!

"What?" I asked, feigning ignorance, "No!"

Sam laughed, grabbing the sleeves to my Iron Man sweatshirt. "Yes, you were, you're as white as a sheet!"

I rolled my eyes and spun her around, holding her against my chest. "I was not," I mumbled in her ear, "But just in case of emergency, you're my human shield."

Sam giggled, and turned her head to look at me. Our faces were inches apart, and maybe it was my imagination, but her breath hitched and we seemed to be getting closer and closer…but… _whatever_ had just happened was ruined a moment later when there was another _bang_. She jerked her head back a bit, proving we _had_ been closer and closer but I decided not to bring that up.

"Okay, so, you hear that too, right?" Sam asked, a bit freaked out.

I creased my eyebrows as the banging became stead and fought the annoyed look that threatened to break out on my face. I had been so close. _Goddamnit, Chris_ , I thought silently. Releasing her, I crept towards the sound.

"Percy? What are you doing…?" I didn't respond and she said, "It's becoming like…weirdly regular."

"There is nothing regular about a loud banging in a basement, unless we're in a horror movie."

"Maybe we should…you know, check it out?"

"Or," I said, my eyes not leaving the origin of the noise, "We could head upstairs and forget this ever happened."

"Come on, Percy, what if it's a pipe about to burst, or a problem with the furnace? Besides…it's coming from the way we _came_ ," she hissed.

I walked slowly towards the sound and suddenly, something warm curled around my arm. I smirked unnoticeably as Sam's fingers grasped my forearm. "Probably not a mechanics issue," I muttered.

"If it were me, I wouldn't want Josh's house burning down on our watch."

"Right…" I muttered.

I rounded the corner, opposite the stairs, and edged toward the noise. I stopped and glanced at Sam.

"Ladies first," I murmured.

Sam rolled her eyes at me and released my arm, "Fine, but I'll have you know there's nothing –"

The moment those words left her mouth, a figure clad in a black robe and a hockey mask jumped out and I had to hold in my laughter, knowing it was Chris.

Sam shrieked and I screamed too for good measure. We turned and sprinted back towards the stairs. "What the hell!" I heard Sam yell and she must've knocked something over to slow Chris down because I heard a loud _bang_ and Chris grunt as he tripped over it.

We took the stairs two at a time and I turned around once we reached the top, letting Sam go for the door. I put a hand on the small of her back as she struggled with the handle before screaming in frustration. "Oh, come _on_ , why are all these doors locked!"

"Locked?!" I yelled.

A second later, the cloaked figure appeared.

And in a deep voice, it said, "Hey…"

Sam turned around and stared at the figure. "…What?"

"Hey!" Chris said with more enthusiasm, throwing his arms in the air.

Sam was panting, her face red with exertion and probably anger. I was laughing off to the side, tears leaking from my eyes.

"What the hell?!" yelled Sam.

"Boom!" said Chris as he lowered the hood on his cloak. "You just got monked!"

"What?!" Sam screeched.

"Nice one, man," I said, still laughing. "Oh my god, that was so good."

"Why would you do that?" she snapped at Chris.

"Josh told me about this cool old movie crap down here. Was I not supposed to take advantage of this opportunity?"

"Are you…are you serious?" Sam looked between me and Chris, a peeved expression on her face. Her eyes finally narrowed on me and she thumped my chest. "Were you in on this putz?!"

I chuckled, finally calming down and rubbed the back of my neck. "I might have been."

Sam huffed and turned around as Chris and I high-fived. Chris unlocked the door a second later and we started back towards the living room.

"Oh, come on, Sam!" I said. "It was a joke!"

She didn't look at me. "That was so not funny, Percy. I'm mad at you."

"No you're not," I crooned.

"Yes, I am."

I rolled my eyes and we walked the rest of the way in silence, until Chris opened the door to the living to the room.

Sam finally sighed and said, "I'm ready to admit that your dumb little prank may have had a slight whiff of humor to it."

"Jokemaster!" exclaimed Chris, and he offered me a low-five, which I accepted.

"I said nothing about jokes. I said your prank, which was dumb –"

"It may have been dumb, but you were shaking in your boots," I said.

"I was not!"

"You were! You were all like, 'Percy, I'm scared, hold me' –"

"Percy!" Sam said warningly and I chuckled, holding my hands up, surrendering.

"Alright, alright, I'm done."

We were met by Josh, April, and Ashley in the living room. Josh was grinning at me and he cocked an eyebrow to ask how it went. I gave him a subtle thumbs up and April rolled her eyes.

"What…in god's name…are you wearing?" asked Ashley as she walked towards Chris.

Chris motioned the Catholic cross over Ashley's chest then folded his hands like a monk. "I have found my true calling," he said in a somber voice.

Ashley mimicked the hand-folding and said, "Please tell me you're going to take a vow of silence."

Chris began to talk animatedly without making any sound. The rest of us laughed and shook our heads at Chris's antics.

"Okay, okay," said Ash, rolling her eyes, "Did you at least find the thingy?"

Chris produced the spirit board from his robes, "Boi-oi-oi-oi-ing! Here's our one way ticket to the spirit realm."

Sam shook her head as she backed away from all of us. "You know what? You know what?! No. I've been through enough spooking for one night, okay? I see a hot bath in my crystal ball. Alright? So have fun!" She began up the stairs and then stopped, glancing over her shoulder at me. "And watch out for Percy! And Chris! And Josh! They're all schemers."

We laughed and I shook my head. "I'm sorry!" I called out half-heartedly. And then, "Are you sure you don't want me to join you?"

"You're not earning any brownie points, you know!" was Sam's response before she disappeared. We all chuckled again.

When the laughter had died down, Chris looked at all of us, wiggling his eyebrows. "Anyone else wanna back out? No?"

A devilish grin spread across his features. "Then let's get freaky."


	7. Chapter Five

**Author's Note** : I'm posting a second time today. This'll count as tomorrow's chapter because I'm not sure if I'll be able to reach a computer. I hope y'all enjoy this hardcore FLUFF. Sorta. Ish. Okay, so not HARDCORE fluff, but a bit of fluff. I can't really put hardcore fluff in this until after shit hits the fan. And even after shit hits the fan, it's kinda hard to incorporate. SO ANYWAY.

Thanks to all who have taken to time to read and reviewing and follow and blah. You all mean so much to me and really encourage me not only as a writer, but as a person. I don't know where I'd be without my writing, but it probably wouldn't be a good place. So please go ahead and R&R this chapter, too! My treat!

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I claim the rights to Percy and April Anthony and Percy's awkward as frick personality.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Five_

So we started to set up the spirit board. Josh led us up a set of stairs into a relatively small room. There was a small table in the middle with four chairs around it. Since there were five of us, April sat on Josh's lap, ignoring my pointed glare.

Chris went to put the robe back where he found it and told us he'd grab some candles. I finally stripped off my sweatshirt, leaving me in an undershirt, a white T-shirt, and a casual blue button-up over top, my sleeves rolled to my elbows. We all had a seat and Chris reappeared a moment later.

The spirit board sat in front of us and Chris sat down to my right, setting a candelabrum to the right of me. He handed me a lighter and fixed me with a grin. "Blaze it, man."

"Four-twenty," I muttered in response as I lit the candles and Chris smacked the back of my head. I snickered and handed him back his lighter. When the candles were all lit, Josh turned off the lights and there was only the flicker of the fire.

"Alright," said Chris as he looked around at each of us, "So it says here: 'to communicate with the spirit world you must free your mind of all preconceptions, drop all inhibitions, and generally give yourself over entirely to the will of others, sublimating your every desire to the whims of the Spirit-master', which is me –"

Ashley sat down to the right of Chris, rolling her eyes. "It does not say that –"

Chris held up a hand to stop her. "And," he continued, "all present will remove their garments at my sole discretion –"

"And that being said," I added in, "Any type of refusal will result in an untimely death and your sole being utterly and completely sucked out of your physical body by a malevolent spirit."

"Chris, Percy, c'mon guys, this is serious," said Josh, glaring at the both of us.

"Oh, I am _deadly_ serious," said Chris in a mock British accent.

" _Deadly_ serious, indeed," I chimed in, imitating Chris.

"Oh, shut up, you two," said Ashley with a brief roll of her eyes.

I met April's eyes as we all set one hand on the spirit board and wiggled them. "You ready, little sis?"

"I'm only seven minutes younger than you," she said with a smirk.

"Still younger."

"Yeah, well, you know I'm not a fan of this kind of stuff…" April eyed the board warily. "It just gives me the spooks."

Before I could respond, Josh wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to the inside of her collarbone. "Awh, c'mon, babe, you know I won't let anything happen to you."

I stared at the two of them as April smiled at her boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss. "You two are aware this is, like, a giant estate? You literally have a shit-ton of rooms to pick from, and they're all far, _far_ away from here."

Josh snorted and April stuck her tongue out at me. "You're just jealous because you don't have the balls to seal the deal with Sam yet," he chided.

"Shut up," I muttered lowly, but I did nothing to argue his claim, because I knew he was right.

"Okay, can we just try this already?" asked Ashley impatiently, "before Percy dies of embarrassment and then we'll just be talking to _his_ ghost. And I'd rather not hear him moan on and on about what could have been with him and Sam."

"Yes, please," agreed Josh.

"Okay, then," said Chris, "Let's try this. Ashley, since you're a recent convert, why don't you be our medium for the day?"

Ashley frowned, but she didn't reject the idea. We all put one finger on the pointer as she hesitantly began. "Okay, um…anyone there? Will you reveal yourself to us if you're there…?"

I almost snorted in disbelief – _almost._ _Then the fucking pointer started moving._

"Woah-ho, wait a minute –" said Chris, clearly not believing what he was saying. To be honest, I wasn't sure I was believing what I was seeing.

"Did you do that…?" asked Josh, looking at each of us.

April gulped and shook her head. "Remember when I said this was spooky…?"

"I didn't do anything!" exclaimed Ashley.

"Remember when Chris said these things were full of shit?" I muttered and Chris smirked at me.

"It's moving again!" said Ash.

The pointer landed on an 'H'.

" _H_!" said Ashley.

"What's it spelling?" asked Josh.

"Hold on," muttered Ashley.

"How is this happening?" Josh demanded.

"I swear it's just moving," cried Ashley, clearly rattled.

I stared at the board as it spelled out ' _help_ '. I felt like the blood was draining from my system.

" _Help_ ," I muttered.

"What?" said Chris, glancing at me.

"The board spelled out _help_."

"Holy shit…" muttered Josh.

" _Help_?" Ashley sounded a bit panicked now.

"…How're we supposed to help?" asked Chris, sounding vaguely confused.

"I don't know, what does it mean?" said Ash.

"We need to know who it is if we're supposed to help them," said Chris.

"Ask who it is, Ash," I said, and I'm not proud to admit there was a slight shake in my voice.

"Okay…uh, who are you?"

The pointer began to shake and I heard April mutter, "Dear Jesus, we're all going to be haunted after this…"

"Ohhh, here it goes…"

"Okay," said Josh, " _S_."

" _I_ ," said Ash.

" _S_." Chris.

" _T_." April.

" _E_." Me.

" _R_ ," we all finished, looks of horror passing around the small table.

" _Sister_?" The panic in Ashley's voice was in full swing now. " _Sister_?!"

Josh's voice shook when he spoke, "Whose sister?"

"I'm out," muttered April.

"NO!" Josh grabbed my sister's hand before she could take it off. "You can't go. It…it ruins the connection."

April looked skeptical, but she didn't leave. She slowly lowered herself back down onto Josh's lap.

"Oh, come on, guys, is this for real?" asked Chris, skepticism clear.

"Shut up!" snapped Josh, and Chris glanced at me like ' _What the hell?_ ' I shrugged in response.

"Ask it whose sister!"

"Josh, it's…it's gotta be…"

"Yeah, okay, well…which sister is it, then?"

"Ashley, ask who it is," said Chris quietly. I raised an eyebrow at him and he gave a slight shake of his head.

"Who…are we speaking to? Hannah…is that you…?"

The pointer shook a tad and moved to 'yes'. I think my heart stopped in that moment. I was almost positive I was going to go into cardiac arrest.

There was a collective intake of breath around the square table and no one spoke for a moment. I didn't trust my mouth or brain to form a coherent sentence.

Chris broke the silence. "This is messed up. This is so fucking messed up."

April looked at Josh over her shoulder. Josh looked freaked out. He was pale and I could see little beads of sweat dotting his forehead. My sister put her free hand on Josh's cheek. "Josh? Sweetheart, are you –"

"I'm fine." But Josh wasn't fine. His voice had a tremor to it and his whole body shuddered when he took a breath. The poor man was a mess.

"Are you sure, because we can stop –" started Ashley.

"No."

"Dude, it's cool –"

"I wanna hear what it says!" Josh snapped.

We all looked at him warily and I couldn't help but wonder if Josh was going off his rocker. I wouldn't be surprised. He'd never fully recovered from last year…sure, April helped, but all in all…I was worried about my bro.

"I dunno where to start!"

I swallowed roughly, meeting Ashley's eyes. "If…uh, if it is… _really_ Hannah…maybe we could, y'know…figure out what happened last year."

Ashley took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She looked around nervously. "Oh-kay…Umm, let me think…Hannah…If you can hear this, like, really hear this…We _all_ want to apologize for what happened."

"It was stupid…and…and mean," Chris chimed in, "and we're sorry."

Ashley was nearly in tears now. "We're _so_ sorry, Hannah."

Just then, the pointer started moving again. Was it too much to hope that it'd spell out something nice and fluffy? Like…like puppies, or dolphins. But nope. It spelled _betrayed_ and my heart leapt into my throat, effectively closing it.

"Uh-oh…" muttered Chris, freaking out now.

"I don't like this. Josh, I don't like this, we need to stop," said April, her voice frantic.

But Josh wasn't paying attention. His eyes were fixed on the pointer. "What does she mean…?" he asked, not listening to the rest of us.

"It's still going…!" warned Chris.

"Oh god…K – I – L – L – E – D! No!" Ashley crying now, a few tears freely streaming down her face. I looked around at everyone else and they were seemingly going into shock. I was surprised one of us didn't have a heart attack yet.

"Killed?!" Josh sounded broken.

"We didn't kill them!" insisted Ashley. "It was just a prank!"

"Ash, calm down, okay?" Leave it to Chris to be the voice of reason in this extremely freaky instant. "Just…we need to find out more."

"Ask them what happened, Ashley," I said, but over everyone else, my voice was lost in the sound. "I said," speaking louder this time. Four heads whipped in my direction. "Ask what happened, Ashley."

"Okay…" said Ashley, taking a moment to gather herself. She took a few breaths, breathing in and out slowing. "Okay…Who killed you? Hannah, who was it?"

The pointer shifted and began to spell out a word. Chris muttered the letters as they landed. " _L – I – B –_ Library! Maybe there's something in the –"

"It's still going!" I warned.

 _Proof. Library_ and _proof._

"There's…there's proof in the library!" Chris suddenly says.

Just then, the board started shaking violently and the pointer flieed off the table onto the ground with a clatter. All of us stood up, April springing off of Josh's lap and wrapping her arms tightly around me, pressing her face to my chest. April had never been into the whole 'supernatural' thing and stuff like that had always scared her. We could barely sit through a scary movie without shutting off. That had just been too much.

I stroked her blonde hair, holding her just as close. Josh's angry voice broke me out of what April called _protective big brother_ mode.

"You know what? No, this is bullshit. This isn't real –"

"Josh, I don't know what's going on –" Ashley tried to protest, but Josh wasn't having any of it.

"Listen, I don't know…I don't know if you think messing with me is going to somehow help me deal with my grief or whatever, but this is _not_ cool." And then he jabbed a finger at April. "And you. I thought you of all people would understand. Whatever. That's clearly not the case."

A tidal wave of anger and protectiveness surged through me for April. "Hey, man, watch it! None of us were playing some stupid trick on you! Man, get over yourself –"

"I don't need this, okay?!" Josh was nearly yelling now. "You guys are full of it!" He stormed down the stairs a second later without a second look at us.

April's thin frame broke into tears against my chest and I dropped a kiss to her hair. "It's alright," I murmured softly, "He'll calm down soon."

Silence filled the air between us as no one said a word. We were all too shocked about what had transpired. I wasn't sure about the other three, but I was trying to decide if that had really just happened or not.

"Should we go after him?" Ashley's voice was tentative and questioning.

"Let's just give him some time," I said and Chris nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Percy's right. He'll be fine in a few."

"I don't blame him!" exclaimed Ash. "I mean, the pointer flew right off the table!"

"I mean if…if you were faking it, you were doing one hell of a job," commented Chris grudgingly.

But Ashley was adamant. "I wasn't faking anything! I think we should do what it says. We should look in the library."

I nodded my agreement. "Yeah, we should. Can I just…I'm going to run April upstairs." I looked down at her. "Yeah?"

April nodded hastily. "Master bedroom…I – I could use a nap. There – There's a nightlight in my backpack. Would you…I mean, could you…"

I kissed her hair again. "Of course." I looked at Chris and Ashley. "Meet you guys in the library?"

They both nodded and Chris clapped my shoulder as me and April walked by. "We won't stumble upon anything creepy without you."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Thanks, Chris, nice to see you have my back."

I heard a snort of amusement before I led April down the stairs and we began our trek to the master bedroom.

It was a short walk filled with the silence. An ominous feeling was laying thick on me and I could feel my forehead break out in a cold sweat. Our footsteps echoed on the stairs and hardwood floors and I was incredibly freaked out.

I wanted to get April safely in the bedroom and lock her in there and then get back to Chris and Ashley as fast as possible.

And then my mind wandered to Sam and the fact that somewhere up here, she was _naked_ in a _bathtub._

I banished the thoughts instantly as I felt my face, ears, and neck get hot and focused on getting April from point A to point B. Almost there.

We got to the master bedroom and April broke away from me reluctantly. She curled up under the covers, shaking a tad. I rifled around in her back and after a moment, I produced a small nightlight that had enough juice to illuminate the whole room with just enough light to be comforting.

I walked back over to April once I could see and kissed her forehead. I was about to leave when my sister caught my hand and I heard her murmur, "Do you think he's okay?"

"Who? Josh?"

April nodded.

"Of course. He loves you, April. He'll be fine."

April gave my hand a comforting squeeze and I walked to the door.

"I'm going to lock the door, okay?"

I heard a brief, muffled 'don't' come from the bed and I frowned. "You sure?"

"I'm fine, Percy."

"Okay…" I said, not quite convinced, but I didn't lock the door. I shut it with a soft _click_ and heard a throat clear behind me. I am not proud to admit that I jumped nine feet in the air and spun around, prepared to run far, far away.

Behind me, arms crossed, hip jutted, smirk prominent, was Sam.

"I remember saying that you were _not_ welcome to join me," she quipped.

I put a finger to my lips and took her arm, moving her away from the door. Once I thought we were far enough, I said, "I was taking April to get some rest. The…uh…the spirit board…"

My voice failed as I remembered what it said and Josh storming out.

Sam's eyes were wide when I looked at her, a smile spreading across her face. "You're totally freaking out right now!"

"What? No I'm not!"

"You so are! I swear, you jumped a mile high when I cleared my throat."

"The board worked!" I hissed.

Sam frowned and looked at me skeptically. "Are you screwing with me?"

"No, I promise you I'm not. We – we think we got in touch with Hannah."

Sam paled at the mention of her former best friend but waved her hand, as if trying to swat away the idea. "No. No, that's…that doesn't happen. The 'supernatural'…it's not real. It was probably Chris playing another joke. You know, like _you_ –" She poked my chest roughly. "–guys did earlier."

"No, Sam…no…it – it happened. I promise you. You _know_ I'd never lie to you, you know me better than that." Sam was looking at me so skeptically, I had to wrack my brain to think of a way to get her to believe me. I ended up putting two hands on her upper arms and looking her in her big, blue eyes…blue like the ocean on a calm – Right, convincing. "Sam, do you trust me?"

She frowned. "What? You know I –"

" _Do_ you trust me?" I asked a bit more forcefully this time.

Sam got really quiet and met my eyes. "You know I do," she whispered quietly.

"Then I need you trust me on this, okay? That this happened. Because I could go on with my entire life telling this story, and people will call me crazy. They'll call me insane. I don't care what people think. But I _do_ care what you think. More than anything else."

It took a few moments, but Sam finally said, "Okay. Okay, I believe you." Relief hit me like a truck, even though she was probably just saying that to appeal to my insanity.

She shrugged off my grip and wrapped her arms around herself, when a thought hit me. "Wait…shouldn't you be in the bath?"

Sam colored a bit. "I was…I was looking around. At…at Hannah's stuff. Trying to remember, y'know? She…she really had a thing for Mike."

"You're telling me," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "What did you find?"

Sam blew out an irritated breath. "Nothing much. An old clipping from a compatibility test with not so successful results. On the back was 'HW + MM' in a heart…I found a picture of Mike from prom…my Halloween party invite…"

"Wait wait. You found a prom picture of Mike? Like, just Mike? No one else?"

"Nope," she confirmed.

I whistled. "That's weird. And the Halloween party invite?"

The corners of Sam's mouth tugged upward in a smile at that. "Yeah. From last year."

I grinned, too. "That was a fun party," I admitted.

"You were drunk and hitting on me most of the time," Sam teased.

"Do you blame me?"

"Have you ever taken a moment to consider that maybe I'm not interested?"

That hit me like a brick. Like a brick to my teeth. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me and that the world was spinning under my feet. My mouth moved, trying to form some sort of reply, but nothing came out. I was seeing double vision.

"I, um, I don't – I'm not sure…I didn't know…I'm so sorry," I was able to mutter before I shouldered past her and went to head down the stairs, when her hand caught my forearm. I looked back at her, jaw set, a nerve in my temple ticking erratically.

Sam had a conflicted look on her face but I heard her barely whisper, "I didn't mean that."

"What?" I snapped, clearly annoyed.

"I didn't mean that…I – I'm sorry," said Sam easily, with a bit more confidence, sliding her arms around my waist.

"I thought you said you needed time to think," I muttered, cautiously returning her hug.

"I do need more time to think. With all that's going on…I – I just…"

"You don't want to take attention away from why we're really here."

"I just can't forget. What they did to Hannah was absolutely _awful_ and…being back, it's all I can think about. Besides you, of course."

"You think about me…?" I muttered, a teasing tone in my voice.

"Of course I do! You're…you're practically _all_ I think about."

"We don't have to tell them," I suggested hopefully.

"No," Sam said, "I guess we don't, huh?"

We stood there in silence, a large smile on my face, just holding each other, enjoying the feeling to have everything out in the open. I was relaxed for the first time in a long time, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would be like this after a _séance._

"Where are you going right now?" she asked suddenly.

"Me, Ash, and Chris are going to check out something in the library…Some kind of clue, or something."

"Does this have anything to do with the séance?"

"…Yes."

Sam pulled away and gave me a knowing smirk, raising one eyebrow suggestively. "Or, you could come with me and we could move this someplace else…?"

I frowned, my eyebrows knitting together. "Aren't you going to take a bath…?" Then Sam's intentions hit me when I saw her smile growing. "Oh," I said, my mouth going dry. " _Oh_."

Sam laughed at that and shook her head. "For a smooth talker, you're quite clueless."

"To be frank, I never expected to make it this far."

"Oh please, you haven't even hit first base."

I was about to reply, when Sam added (and quite seductively), "Yet."

I swallowed roughly, my mind going blank. "I – I should get back to Chris and Ash. They're going to wonder where I am."

Sam looked a bit disappointed and a bit worried at the same time. "Alright, but don't be too long, tiger. Don't get haunted, or anything. Be careful, okay? For me."

I grinned a bit as our faces got closer and closer together. "Careful? Pfft. You think just because you said 'for me', I'll do it."

"Am I wrong…?" Her breath drifted across my face.

"Not exactly."

I fully expected our lips to collide, but Sam darted her head to the left at the last second and pecked me on the cheek, then pushed me away. "Then go. Come back soon, and I might just leave a bit of hot water for you."

Sam winked coyly at me then turned around, heading back towards…well, somewhere, her hips sashaying just a little bit more than usual. I watched her until she disappeared around the corner.

My mouth was dry, my jaw was hanging open, my hands were still in the place they were they'd been a moment ago when they were on the small of her back.

I eventually broke out of my reverie, trying to remember who I was and what I was doing because my mind was on overdrive.

With a shake of my head, I turned and took the stairs down, two at a time.

If I'd said it before, I'd say it again.

That girl was going to be the death of me.


	8. Chapter Six

**Author's Note** : I lied. Here. *throws chapter at readers* (Side Note: One of you asked me if I was going to continue on to after these events and tell you what happens to everyone. The answer is yes, I am going to go a few chapters after, explaining everyone. Not sure if it'll be in first person or not because if I'm going to do smut between Sam and Percy I am NOT doing in first person. That's just uncomfortable. You let ME know what you want to see, PMs, reviews, anything. So yeah.)

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. Percy and April are mine though, the poor chaps.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Six_

I hurried my way back down to the second floor, heart pounding in my chest. My cheek was still tingling where Sam had kissed it and my brain was buzzing. You might be thinking: _Wow, you literally just got in contact with your dead friend in the spirit world and all you can think about is Sam? That's shallow, man._ Well, you know what? You can shut up. When you've been pining after someone for as long as five years, yeah, they usually end up being the most important thing in your life.

I made a total of three wrong turns on the way to the library. My mind was completely upstairs, in the large bathroom, with Sam, completely – Right, focus.

So yeah, three wrong turns trying to find the library, which was connected to a long hallway that I completely forgot existed until I finally turned onto it after messing up a third time.

Inside the library, Chris and Ashley were sitting in chairs, clearly waiting for my return. The area was a mess. Books littered the floor, only a few remaining in the shelves. Chris and Ash looked downright spooked. Neither of them saw me as I approached.

"Hey, find anything?" I asked. My voice was husky and out of breath as I spoke, and I realized that I'd practically sprinted here. I temporarily forgot about Sam.

Both of my friends jumped like they were expecting a ghost, spinning around to look at me. They had each paled and Ash had a hand on her chest as she took deep breaths. Chris was glaring at me half-heartedly.

"God damnit, Percy! Announce yourself next time!" whined Ashley.

I rolled my eyes and gave them each a pointed look. "Well?!"

Ashley didn't seem to hear me. Her face softened and she fixed me with a concerned gaze. "How's April?"

"She's fine. Just tired and a bit spooked. Her light's on, door shut in the master bedroom. I'm sure Josh'll cool down soon."

"Yeah, right," muttered Chris. "The guy's off his rocker! It was his idea to use the damn thing after all!"

"Lay off," I said, not rudely, but more suggestively, "He's been through a lot and I'm honestly not that surprised he lashed out. It was totally uncalled for and pissed me off, but not a big shock."

"I suppose you're right," Chris conceded.

"So what the hell did you find?!" I asked, this time a bit impatiently.

"Well, when we got in here –" began Ashley.

"The books flew off the shelves right at us. Like projectiles or something. Like dodgeballs. I hate dodgeball."

"You hate gym," I pointed out.

"It's a pointless class," reasoned Chris and I shrugged. He was kinda right.

"Anyway!" sang Ashley, rolling her eyes at both of us, "Like Chris said, the books went flying. And then that was revealed." Ash pointed to the bookcase.

I followed her finger and inside was a white button. It was small and definitely a bit suspicious looking. "If I'm not mistaken, something tells me that the proof we're looking for is behind that bookshelf."

"What makes you think it's a secret room?" asked Chris.

"What _else_ is it gonna be?" I challenged.

"Maybe something nice? Like…like sprinkles and confetti falling from the ceiling."

"You're such a dork."

"Excuse me for being an optimist."

"Guys!" said Ashley loudly, making us both jump. "Will one of you _please_ press the damn button!"

"Why does one of us have to do it?" demanded Chris.

"Because you're both boys."

"So?" I asked.

"So, you're fearless and strong and handsome and –"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, I'll get the button," Chris growled and Ashley smirked.

Chris pressed the button and then turned around. I looked at him and made a whipping motion muttered, " _Wt-tch!_ " (That's how a whip sounds to me. Just go with it.)

Ashley scowled at me, but there was humor behind it and Chris just cocked an eyebrow. " _Sam,_ " he mouthed and I rolled my eyes, briefly remembering the cheek kiss. I swallowed roughly and looked away so Chris didn't see my face heat up.

Just then, the bookcase started to shudder and creak and groan and a moment later, it slid back and to the right. Behind it was a room.

"Panel opens! Head explodes!" Chris exclaimed.

"Told you," I said, half under my breath.

"I didn't think you'd be right! Are we, like, in a movie right now?" asked Ashley, half-heartedly.

"If we are, I hope it's a rom-com," said Chris.

"I'd rather it not because that means I'm the idiot friend," I remarked as I peered inside the little room.

"Nah, you're not. Chris is." Ashley winked at me, then turned to look in the room as well.

I glanced at Chris, whose mouth was set in a firm pout, staring at me. Without a word, he reached up and thumped me over the head, a bit hard this time.

"Hey! That's the third time you've done that!"

"Only three?" said Chris innocently as he _did it again_.

I slapped his hand. "Chris! Secret door. Focus!"

He gave me a mock salute. "Yessir!" He then looked at Ashley, who held the candle. "Go on now, Ash."

"Leave it to the Washington's to have secret passages - there's no way I'm going first!"

"Maybe they didn't even know," I suggested. "This place is old as hell, anyway. It could have been as much as a mystery to them as to us."

"Something tells me they knew," commented Chris lowly.

Ashley shoved the candle at Chris. "Check it out!"

"I pressed the button!" Chris in turn shoved the candle at me. "Make Percy go!"

"I don't care who does it, just one of you go!"

"Fine!" I said, snatching the candle away from the two of them.

Holding up the weak, flickering light, I took a cautious step inside. To the right was a wall, nothing to be seen. To the left, on the other hand, was a wall a bit further back, but with a cabinet and shelf set up, lining it. Books littered the shelves above my head and at my feet was a broken panel.

On counter was a photo of Hannah and Beth, forming a heart with their hands. Hannah's butterfly tattoo was prominent on her white skin and they both looked exactly like I'd seen them the last time. My heart wrenched in my chest and my stomach clenched. Beth and Hannah, the twins who had brought us so much joy and so many laughs…gone. And yet here they were, in a photo, a year or so old, exactly how I remembered them.

I flipped the picture over and I was expecting some cute little note about when and under what circumstances the photo was taken. That was not what I got at all. There was a message in all capital letters scrawled on the back in red lettering. I had a bad feeling that it wasn't pen.

It read _"I WILL TAKE THEM AND BLEED THEM LIKE PIGS AND RIP THEIR SOFT WHITE SKIN OFF. FUCKING SIXTEEN YEARS. SIXTEEN YEARS I WAITED FOR PRETTY LITTLE HANNAH AND BETH"_. And if that wasn't messed up, then I was Donald Trump.

"Uh…guys?" I said tentatively.

"What?" asked Ashley and Chris in unison. I turned and saw them both blushing and rolled my eyes.

"I don't want to freak either of you out…but that's probably impossible give the circumstances…I think you two should see this." I walked back to them and handed the photo to Chris reluctantly.

Chris looked confused. "It's a picture. So?"

"Flip it over."

He did. And they both paled.

"I think it's what Hannah or Hannah's ghost or whoever wanted us to find," I said.

"This is a threat," said Chris quietly.

"Percy." Ashley met my eyes. "This is serious. We need to find Josh right now."

"Definitely," I nodded.

Chris handed the picture back to me and I looked at it a moment before sticking it in my pocket. I'm not sure why, but it just felt right.

The three of us made our way out of the library. I was leading now, candle in hand and we were about to go back the way we came, when there was a slight creak behind us.

I met Chris and Ashley's eyes and they both looked equally as nervous. We slowly turned around. Behind us, the door to the right of the library was swinging open.

"Uh…should we, y'know, check it out?" asked Chris.

"I'm kinda scared to go any further," Ashley responded.

I sighed and held the candle high, looking at my friends with a determined expression. "'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself'," I quoted.

"Now is not a time to be quoting inspirational things, Perce."

"'Fears are nothing more than a simple state of mind'."

"Are you done?"

"'Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will'."

"Where are you getting these?" exclaimed Chris.

I snorted, "I'm done now. I did an essay on the chemical reaction in the brain that produces fear in tenth grade."

"And you call me a dork."

"I wanted a good grade!"

"Guys! The door?!" said Ashley, wildly gesturing at it. "Remember our mission?"

"I wouldn't classify it as a _mission_ , more of a quest –"

"Chris?"

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Would you please shut the hell up?"

"Sure, Ash."

I wiggled my eyebrows at him suggestively and he shoved my shoulder. "Let's go, man!"

We silently walked through the door. Large paintings of Native Americans covered the walls. Don't ask me why; they freaked all of us out.

I spotted a piece of paper on a dresser and walked closer, looking at the scrap. It was a letter to one Dr. Swaffham from Melinda Washington. Josh's mom. It was about an Indian tribe? I had to read it over twice to be sure of what I was reading. On the back was what really caught my eye.

It was a memo taken on some Thursday at 9:17PM. Something about a crazy guy near the generator shed? Apparently Mrs. Washington had seen this guy more than once because she stated that she was going to start keeping surveillance.

"Do you guys really think someone was after Hannah and Beth?" asked Ashley. She was leaning over my shoulder, eyes scanning the document in my hand.

Chris appeared at my other side. "If so, that would be really messed up. I was just thinking about something I saw down…" He suddenly looked at me, "Remember the poster?"

"Yeah." I said the same time as Ashley asked, "What?"

"There was like this wanted poster – full on western-style, you know?"

"So…?" said Ashley with a frown.

Realization dawned on me slowly as my eyes looked over the note once more. "Me and Sam, on the trail to the cable car station. We thought someone was following us. We heard twigs break somewhere off the trail."

"So…so what? You're saying there's some criminal up on the mountain with us?" Ashley sounded like she was close to panic.

I gave Chris a pointed look and jerked my head subtly at her.

" _What am I supposed to do?_ " he mouthed at me.

I yawned casually and motioned slinging my arm around her shoulder. Chris caught on and put his arm around Ashley. She leaned into him, her breath slowing somewhat.

I raised an eyebrow at Chris.

" _Thank you_ ," he mouthed.

I merely shrugged and moved into the next room. This one was larger, a set of double doors to the right of us. To the left was a door that lead outside. "Remember that one guy you told me about, Chris?"

"What guy?" demanded Ashley.

"The guy who threatened the Washington's."

"Oh yeah!" said Chris, "He…he said he wanted to take revenge by burning the whole place down. And I found that crazy psycho letter!"

"Guys, if this is your way of trying to make me feel better, you're both fired. Well…the arm thing is helping, but not enough!"

Just then, the double doors started rattling. Ashley jumped out of Chris's grasp and stared at the doors. Chris and I exchanged nervous glances. And then, as if it couldn't get worse, we heard a muffled cry come from behind the doors. The doors led to the kitchen.

Ash rushed for the handles. "That was Josh!"

"Coming from the kitchen!" said Chris and he was behind Ashley in an instant, pulling at the doors and banging on them.

Was I the only one with a bit of common sense? "Guys, are you sure that's Josh?"

"Who else would it be?!" snapped Ashley.

"I dunno!" I protested. "Just…something about this isn't right. I…I should go warn April and Sam. I have a real bad feeling about –"

Suddenly the doors opened slightly and Ashley was dragged inside with a scream. They were slammed in Chris's face when he tried to follow. We could hear Ashley's screams from inside.

"Ashley?!" Chris was frantic. "Ash, what's goin' on, let me in!"

I cursed lowly and ran up beside him, trying to jerk the doors open. Nothing was right about this. This entire situation was fishy and I didn't like it one bit. And Sam and April were upstairs, completely unaware of what was going on.

Then, it got completely quiet, other than me and Chris banging on the doors. Ashley's screams were silenced.

"Ashley?!" Chris looked at me with wide eyes. "We shoulder smash on three."

I set my jaw and nodded.

"One…"

We got into position.

"Two…"

I bent my knees.

"Three!"

We both exploded into the doors and they crashed open into the kitchen. We stumbled inside. Ashley was knocked out on the ground.

Chris knelt beside her, frantic, and then I heard him exhale.

"She has a pulse, she's alive –" Chris cut off when he looked at me over his shoulder. "Percy, look - !"

And that was the last I heard before I felt a hard thump on the back of my head and I crumpled to the ground as darkness overtook me.

* * *

I woke up and groaned instantly. The back of my head was throbbing painfully. Black spots clouded my vision. I got even more of a headache when I remembered what had happened.

I blinked away the spots and pushed myself up. The kitchen was exactly the way I remembered. Except it was dark. And Ashley wasn't on the ground in front of us. Chris was beside me, slowly recovering as well. There was a flashlight in place of where Ashley was last seen.

"Ugh," Chris groaned, "What the fu –" He rubbed a giant bruise on his forehead as he stood up with me. "Oh no…Ashley! Ash!"

"Are you trying to get us killed with all your shouting?" I hissed. "What the hell knocked me out?"

Chris looked at me like he was just realizing I was there with him. He shook his head, clearly freaked out. "I don't know…I'm not…there was a guy with a freaky white mask over his face. There were two small eyeholes and the nose was broken off. There…there were gums and rotten teeth, part of the mask I think…and this nasty, greasy black hair falling off the mask…part of it too…"

I ground my teeth together, remembering Sam and April were still upstairs.

"I need to go get Sam and April."

"Percy, I need you right now, man," said Chris.

"What if he gets Sam or April?!"

"Think about it!" said Chris, his voice desperate. "Sam's in the bath. So she probably locked her door, right?"

"…Right."

"And no one knows April's in the master bedroom. I bet the dumbass wouldn't even think to check there, okay? Listen, bro, the more time we spend talking about this, the longer Ash's been gone. We don't know where she is, man! We have to find her!"

I was conflicted. I didn't want to leave Sam or April, not while some psycho was on the loose. No way. But I didn't want to leave Chris to look for Ashley, either.

"What if it was Sam, Percy?"

"What?"

"What if the psychopath got Sam?"

My throat closed and I couldn't form a response.

"Exactly. That's how I feel right now, so come _on_!"

"Fine," I growled and Chris let out a sigh of relief.

We started to the back of the kitchen and Chris stopped in the doorway briefly. He reached down and picked up a small wallet. There was blood on it. "Not good," said Chris, "Not good at all."

"Is that Ash's?"

Chris nodded and we turned around, heading out the double doors. Ahead of us, the door that led outside was wide open, a cold burst of air trailing throughout the room. Beside the door was a bloody mess on the wall. A crow cawed and flew back outside upon seeing us.

We got closer and Chris flashed the light on the wall. I felt the urge to gag, but somehow, I held my dinner down.

"Aw, shit!" exclaimed Chris. "C'mon, Percy!"

Chris led us outside and down the stairs. The wind was frigid and I was in nothing but a tank top, white T-shirt, and a button-up. Sure, it was three layers, but it wasn't three layers of anything substantial. Chris was only in a T-shirt under a green sweater, but it was still more than me. He didn't seem very fazed by the below freezing temperature. Probably adrenaline. That's what was keeping me going.

I didn't question how Chris knew where he was going, but we kept moving. We each kept yelling Ashley's name in to the wintery forest, but as expected, there was no response. After a brief debate about turning left or going straight on the trail, we went left.

Near the dead end though, a scarecrow on a stick popped out of nowhere suddenly. Chris and I screamed and threw our arms around each other. A second later though, we pushed each other way, a grudging smirk on my face and a grim smile on Chris's.

When the moment had ended and we both sobered up, Chris scowled at the scarecrow. "Who the hell would do this?"

"Probably that fucked up psychopath," I growled.

We maneuvered around the scarecrow; I went left, Chris went right.

"Aw, shit!" I heard Chris exclaim a moment later. I would have cared more if a small, wooden object that I'd learned to identify as a totem hadn't caught my eye.

"Uh, what?" I called back to him, a bit distracted.

"There's a fucking pig's head over here!"

"Just a head?"

"Just a head," he confirmed.

"Gross," I muttered.

I leaned down, setting my jaw and reached for the totem.

"Whatcha got over there?" Chris yelled.

"Uh, a totem!"

"Like, the Native American kind?"

"Yeah, sorta."

I turned it over and stared into the murky blackness that was the shape of the butterfly.

 _I was looking into a cavern. The walls were made of rock and all I saw was a background. But then the picture moved and I saw two legs clad in dark pants kicking back and forth. That is, until they stopped suddenly._

I drew in a breath as my vision flashed back to the real world. Chris was kneeling beside me, a hand on my shoulder, looking at me worriedly. "Are you alright, man?"

 _NO!_ I wanted to yell. Because I was almost sure that I had just watched someone die. Being hung, or…or something. The totems were getting increasingly more horrific. I felt the cold sweat on my forehead dry a bit as the breeze picked up.

"Yeah," I managed, my voice hoarse, dropping the totem. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"You sure, Perce?"

"I'm fine," I ground out as I stood up, fighting the urge to pass out. "Let's find Ash."

That seemed to set Chris back on track. He nodded and we went back the way we came, following the path straight this time.

After a few minutes of walking, we came to a shed-like shelter. I'd never seen it before in my life. Chris and I exchanged wary glances and we forged to the small building.

We pushed on the door, jerking it open together. Chris swung the light around the small room. "Ashley!"

It was then that I heard a soft cry. I looked at Chris, who was looking at me, each of us seeking confirmation that we had just heard that.

"Ashley?" I called out.

The crying quieted. "…Percy? Chris? Are you guys there?"

"Ash, we're here!" Chris yelled, "Where are you?"

"I'm…I don't know!"

We traversed further into the room, and suddenly, lights illuminated the room before us.

And what I saw was straight out of a horror movie.

Behind a small wall and a glass pane were Ashley and Josh, arms strung above their heads on some sort of back board. There was a door to the far right. Near the glass was an industrial saw blade rigged to some sort of mechanism. The tracks it followed broke off either to Josh or Ashley. On the little wall that came up to about waist height, was a lever. To either side were pictures of Josh and Ash.

My throat closed. This couldn't be happening, I deduced. This was just some fucked up premonition, like the totems. But it wasn't. It was right there, in front of me and Chris.

"Please!" Ashley cried, "Help me! Chris! Percy! Are you guys there?!"

We ran up to the glass and the little wall and Chris was trying to find sort of way to shut the machine down. I jerked at the door handle, but it was firmly locked.

Just then, a voice spread throughout the room that gave me chills. "Hello and thank you all for joining me."

 _Oh_ , I thought, _fuck._


	9. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note** : Alright so, SUPER short chapter. Originally I was going to keep this and the next chapter together as a split POV chapter, but I didn't do that. Changed my mind.

So one of you asked what would have happened if Percy went to go Sam and April instead of going with Chris, and the Butterfly Effect that would follow. I thought about this a lot before actually writing this chapter, and here's what I came up with: So essentially, if Percy had gone to save Sam and April, he would have managed to get them out of the Lodge safely because Josh is busy faking his death at the slaughterhouse. And if Sam and April got out safely, there'd be no reason for Chris, Ash, and Percy to go back to the Lodge, where Chris and Ashley get caught by the Psycho and find all that back story on the Psycho and Chris gets the gun and all that jazz. They would have only had to worry about Mike and Jess, so Josh would have never revealed himself (in that moment). So basically, if Percy saved Sam and April, the entire plot line would have huge holes that I'd have to fill with improv. Normally, I'd be all gung-ho for this, but I wanted to follow the story of the original Until Dawn pretty well because the plot was awesome. Who knows? Maybe after this story, I'll make a new OC and change the entire thing up. So yeah.

Also! Pretty sure Mini Chipmunk is either my twin or a mind-reader. Literally. So yeah. Please R&R! :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.  
 **Side Note** : This is the chapter where Josh dies, so I tried to not make it THAT gory. I'd say I succeeded, but just in case.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony. They're pretty great.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Seven_

Ashley screamed and Chris and I looked around frantically for the source of the voice.

"Josh! Oh my god, Josh, wake up!" yelled Ash.

Beside her, Josh slowly came to. "…Huh? What?"

"Tonight," the Psycho continued, "we're going to conduct a little experiment. A sort of test."

"What is this?!" Josh exclaimed as he realized the predicament he was in. "Ashley, what the hell is going on?!"

"Now, for this experiment, we'll need the cooperation of our two test subjects…Joshua and Ashley…" said the Psycho while Ash wailed over the distorted voice, "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!"

"Holy shit…oh my god…" said Josh.

"What?!"

"But…we're gonna need a couple more brave participants to help decide…which subject will live, and which will die."

"Oh no!" Ashley yelled, tears now streaming down her face, "Oh my god! Oh god, CHRIS! PERCY! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! LET ME DOWN FROM HERE YOU MANIAC!" roared Josh.

"Please. Please, please, everyone calm down," came the Psycho's calm voice. His attempt to calm Ash and Josh resulted in more yelling, and I strained to hear his words. "It's all very simple. Christopher, Percival, you will find a lever placed directly in front of you."

Chris and I met each other's eyes and then looked at the lever. "All you have to do is…decide which you will save!"

The saw blade fired up behind the glass pane and a whole new round of shrieking starting. My blood ran ice cold. This was a nightmare. A nightmare brought into reality. I'd always knew there were people who were insane out there but this…this was too much. Too much for me. For anyone.

"Oh no…please!" Ash was screaming. "Oh god, this can't be happening…oh god, oh god, oh god…! This isn't right!"

"Shit…shit…! No! Okay…okay, okay, okay…this is gonna be okay," said Josh.

But it _wasn't_ going to be okay. One of them was going to die. And Chris and I were going to have to decide.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" yelled Chris in rapid-fire, volume increasing steadily.

I blew out a breath and my chest heaved up and down, "Okay. Chris. Chris, hey, man, hey!" I grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at me. "We gonna get them through this, okay?"

"Dudes!" yelled Josh. "Buddies, guys, let's just think about this for a minute…"

"Oh my god! Chris! Percy, guys you can't let me die!"

"GUYS!" I yelled harshly and, surprisingly, they shut up. "Let us think, okay? We…we…fuck me…"

"Ashley…" muttered Chris.

"What?"

"Ash," he said, still quietly. "We have to save Ash."

I stared at Chris. "Just like that, man? You're ready to throw Josh under the bus?"

"What. If. It. Was. Sam?!" Chris hissed and I bit my lip. He was right. If it was Sam, I wouldn't even hesitate. I think even Josh knew I wouldn't have hesitated. But it wasn't Sam, it was Ash. And this one was hitting Chris too close to home and me not close enough.

"I…fuck!"

"This is insane, this is NUTS. This isn't happening. Chris. Please tell me this isn't happening," wailed Ashley. Apparently, the silence thing wasn't going to last. Understandable, I suppose. I wasn't the one on the receiving end of a saw blade to the abdomen.

"I – I – I dunno what to do!" exclaimed Chris. His voice was high-pitched and breathy.

"Bro! Chris, Percy! Guys!" pleaded Josh. "C'mon, guys, we've been through so much! I don't wanna go out like this!"

"Chris! Chris, please, I'm so scared! Please don't let him kill us!" Ashley was appealing strictly to Chris now and I knew it was game over for Josh. But it _couldn't_ be game over for Josh. Josh, one of my best friends. It _couldn't_.

"I know…I know I haven't been the best of friends lately…and – and I've been kinda messed up and everything…but I'm getting better, man! I swear!"

As Chris reached for the lever, I grabbed his wrist and looked at him. "Really think about this, Chris. Are you really gonna throw Josh out to dry like this?"

"I can't let Ash die."

"Chris, come on, this logically!"

"I am, Percy!"

He started to pull the lever and I shoved Chris aside. "Come on, man!"

What happened next, I was ready for. Not at all.

Chris's fist reared back and slammed me in the nose. I staggered back, but I was off-balance and unsteady already and I dropped like a sack of rocks. My vision blurred and I felt hot liquid rush from my nostrils. I tasted the salty tang of blood as it hit my lips and coughed.

Then I heard the saw blade set in motion. When I looked up, the lever was turned. The lever was turned, saving Ashley.

"I see…you have chosen to save Ashley."

"NO, CHRIS!" yelled Josh. "PERCY, MAN, HELP. PERCY!"

"OH GOD, JOSH!" screamed Ashley.

"I thought we were friends, man! I thought we were friends! Why would you do this?! Percy, why didn't you stop him?!"

I knew the saw blade was spinning rapidly, getting closer and closer to Josh. Chris was watching with rapt attention, a horrified look on his face from what he'd just done.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" yelled Chris, his voice breaking. "This is madness, please!"

I grabbed Chris's calf, too weak to stand, fingers digging into his flesh. "Chris, man what the hell did you do?!"

He kicked me away. I fell back a bit. I wiped my nose with my shirt, leaving a smear of red. The blood wasn't slowing down. Uneasily, I gripped the top of the wall and pulled myself up, leaning heavily on the glass pane.

"AHHH! NO!" yelled Ash as the saw began to cut into Josh. My eyes fixed to his writhing figure and my stomach churned unpleasantly.

"NO! Oh GOD, WHAT DID I DO?!" Josh's screams were filled with pain and anguish and I wanted to stop looking but I couldn't.

"Stop it!" cried Chris. "You can't do this, please!"

"OH NO! OH MY GOD, OH GOD, CHRIS, GET US OUT OF HERE!" screeched Ashley.

The saw had stopped. It stopped, colored completely red. Josh's lower half had fallen to the ground, his screams going silent. Blood and gore were everywhere and Ash was covered in half of it. Josh's head had lolled down, his eyes half open. Intestines were spilling everywhere.

Josh was dead. Josh Washington was _dead_. He was killed and it was partially my fault.

The door to the right of us clicked and swung open.

"Oh, Josh…Josh, I'm so sorry…No, no, no, d – don't look, Ashley, don't look!" called Chris and he ran through the door.

"Why can't I _look_ , Chris? Please tell me he's okay, please…!"

I didn't listen to their conversation. All I know is that it ended in Ash taking one look at Josh, then falling into Chris's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

I stared at my best friend's limp figure, my world slowly spinning around me. The longer I looked, the worse I felt. Eventually, I leaned over and vomited, today's dinner from that fast food place with Sam emptying out. I gagged and gagged, but there wasn't much left to throw up. Just bile.

I wiped my mouth with a shaking hand and staggered my way into the room. Ashley fixed me with a murderous glare when she saw me and untangled herself from Chris's arms. She marched straight up to me and slapped me, hard, across the face.

" _You tried to stop Chris from saving me, you asshole!_ " she screamed.

As she tried to come down on me, Chris grabbed Ashley's arms and restrained her, pulling her back to his chest. "Hey, hey, calm down, Ash! Perce just wanted me to see all my options…shhhh…shhh, we're together, now. You're alive."

I was leaning heavily on the bloody saw blade after Ash slapped me. I was nauseous and my nose was throbbing. My cheek stung. Everything was falling apart.

 _Josh_ was _dead._

Chris and Ashley were leaving and I went to follow them. My shirt got caught on the saw blade and I felt the edge pierce my skin as I fell into it slightly. All in all, the pain was minor. I couldn't feel much, just a dull buzz in my side.

Ash and Chris were already outside. I followed them, holding my shirt to side, blood dripping from my nose and side.

And then I saw Chris and Ashley talking to someone; two someone's. I stumbled up to them, and stood beside Chris. Chris looked at me with wide eyes when he saw my side and cut off from his sentence. Ash wouldn't look at me.

"J – Josh…he's – Percy! Percy, what…w – what happened?"

Matt sucked in a breath when he saw me and steadied me, putting a hand on my shoulder. Emily was looking between me and Ashley frantically.

"Percy, what happened?" asked Matt.

"Are you okay? Who's blood is that?" asked Emily in a strangely not-hostile tone which threw me off even in my current state.

"Fine. Saw…blade," I muttered.

"Did he just say saw blade?!" demanded Emily, her voice sharp.

"Josh, he's what, man?!"

"Dead," I choked out.

Heads snapped to face me. All except Ashley.

"Wait, what?"

"What are you talking about?"

"R – Right in front…made us ch – choose. Chris…he – he punched me. Saved Ash…slapped me…"

"You're…I'm…I'm sorry, Percy," said Ashley quietly as she broke into soft sobs. Chris held her tighter.

"What happened?! I don't understand!" fired off Matt.

"There's a psychopath…" I managed.

"A maniac!" Chris confirmed.

"Oh my god, we gotta get outta here!" said Emily.

"There – There was a maniac," Chris continued, "And he – he was…there was a saw…and it was either him or Ash and I didn't know what to do…I hit Percy…oh god…"

"Oh god…" cried Ashley.

"Cut right through him –"

"Spilled everywhere…" I confirmed.

"WHAT?! Oh my god, Chris, Percy, what?!"

"I killed him!" wailed Chris. "I killed him!"

"We killed him," I correctly harshly, "We killed Josh…"

Just then, hot tears spilled down my cheeks, mixing with the dried blood on my face. I could still feel the cut in my side pulsing blood every time I took a breath.

"It was our fault, Matt!" said Chris.

Emily's voice only wavered in the slightest. I hate to admit, but she was the second-most level-headed of all of us present. "No. No, this is insane. We need to go get some help."

"Cut right in half…" I said miserably, my voice cracking.

"We're going to figure this out guys," Matt promised.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" was Chris's only reply.

"Matt, we need to go get help now," said Emily firmly.

"Em, we should look for the others –"

"Mike and Jess are off 69'ing each other and who knows where Sam and April are."

Sam and April. _Sam and April._ _Sam and April were still in the Lodge and the Psycho was on the loose._ My breathing became erratic as I realized that I had to get to them, and fast. They weren't going to touch my sister. They weren't going to touch Sam. They weren't going to touch the two people I loved most in the world.

Sometime later, I'd realize that that was the first time I admitted to myself that I was in love with Sam. It took me being bloodied, broken, and mentally scarred for me to finally admit that I loved Sam. I guess Josh had a point when he'd told me traumatic events had a thing for making people realize their feelings for each other. _True_ feelings. I still remembered him telling me that in freshman year, watching a horror movie at his place.

His statement held true.

"The Lodge…" I coughed. "They're at the Lodge…have to go get them…"

"Percy, man, I don't think you can even stand on your own –" Matt began.

I shot him an angry glare. "Sam is in there," I snarled, "My twin sister is in there." That seemed to be enough for Matt. He let go of my shoulder cautiously, satisfied when I didn't fall on my face.

"Fine. Fine, you're right. Get everyone else together. But if there's a maniac running around I think we need to get some help, too, right? Not just wait around?" pointed out Emily.

I hated to admit it, but she was right. For once, I was siding with Emily. I sincerely hoped it'd never have to happen again.

"But what about –" protested Matt.

"Why are we still talking about this?!" huffed Emily. "Let's go!"

Matt touched my shoulder once before he and Emily went racing into the wilderness.

I looked at Chris and Ashley, who were still crying.

I wiped my tears away, standing up straight, ignoring the spike of pain that shot through my side. Ignoring the sharp sting of my shirt peeling away from the exposed wound. Ignoring the blood dripping from my face and shirt.

"Let's go," I said. My voice was hoarse and not nearly as strong as it usually was. But it was enough to get Chris and Ashley's attention.

They both nodded, and I didn't expect much more of a response.

We had been divided. Chris and Ashley had both struck me. I didn't think the three of us would ever forget that. But we had to be united for one common purpose.

We had to get the hell off that mountain, everyone else alive. We had to find the others.

I had to find Sam and my sister.

And I was going to, no matter what the cost.


	10. Chapter Eight

**Author's Note** : Another short one. Part Two of the last, and I did something a bit different. This one's in Sam's POV, (*cough* Mini Chipmunk *cough*) because I wanted you all to see the bathroom scene and get a little insider into the way she thinks. It's not first person though, being because the story is written the way it is.

On the side, I found a baby mouse and I'm currently taking care of him. His name is Jeremy. And I want you all to know it's really hard to feed them.

That's all. Please R&R! :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.  
 **Side Note** : This is the chapter where Josh dies, so I tried to not make it THAT gory. I'd say I succeeded, but just in case.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony. Yep. That's it.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Eight – Sam's POV_

Sam sat in the bath, the hot water soaking into her skin. She'd lost track of how long she'd really been up in the bath. Soft, classical music filtered through her ear phones into her ears. The candle she had lit earlier was leaving a soft, lilting light flickering across the large bathroom.

It was peaceful. Sam didn't get much peace, with her friends, and Percy. _Especially_ Percy.

Her little run-in with him was still fresh in her mind. The way the slight stubble on his cheek scratched against her lips when she'd pressed them to his cheek. The fact that his chest, and entire torso for that matter, was as hard as rock. The way his now-dark hair was curling around his ears as it got a bit shaggier than his normally clean-cut hairstyle. His intense blue eyes that were always softer when they looked at her.

Oh, yeah. Sam had it real bad for Percy. She'd managed to keep down her feelings for the most part, but she couldn't help but blush at his flirting and laugh at his witty comments. The worst part was how _normal_ she felt with him.

With Percy…with Percy, Sam felt at home.

So, for the entirety of her bath, Sam thought about Percy and the fact that she'd finally opened up to him. She'd let him know she cared. She'd told him that, yes, she needed time to fully think, but she knew she really didn't. She knew that if Percy would ask her to dinner or on a date, there wouldn't be any hesitation to say yes.

But Sam was a rational thinker. She was wary. She liked taking it slow.

And the best part was that Percy was _fine_ with taking it slow. He was so sweet and gentle and by _god_ , not to mention attractive. Because that was definitely a factor.

Sam sunk lower into her bath as she smiled to herself.

And then the candle beside her went out. And she heard the faint sound of the bathroom door closing through her headphones. For a brief moment, Sam thought _maybe_ , just _maybe_ , Percy had decided to take her up on her offer.

Sam's eyes snapped open, sweeping the bathroom. She was sadly disappointed when it was empty. She took out her ear buds and set them down next to her phone on the side of the tub.

"Hello?" she called out nervously. "Guys? Percy? What are you doing out there?" Sam huffed and lowered her voice. "Being creepy…" No one responded. In fact, Sam didn't hear much of anything. At all.

"Oh-kay…"

Sam lifted herself reluctantly from the warm waters of the tub and got out, wrapping a white towel around her. She went for her clothes…and scowled when she saw what was left of them.

"Oh for Pete's sake…my clothes? Really? Whichever one of you did this is off my Christmas list. Seriously, not cool, guys!" And then, "Not cool at all, _Percy_ …"

Sam couldn't help but smile a bit as she said his name. Just thinking about him made her giddy. She put down her _one_ sock and headed out of the bathroom.

It was completely silent in the Lodge. No voices floating up through the open staircases, no sound of TV or a movie, nothing. It freaked Sam out. Then she remembered April was in the master bedroom.

Sam made way for the bedroom and opened the door cautiously, "April? April, you in here?"

The bed was empty, but Sam heard, "Yeah, right in here!"

Sam opened the door fully and stepped inside, shutting it behind her. April was changing into a tank top and yoga pants. She pulled her fleece hoodie on over the white tank top and flashed Sam a smile as she put on socks.

"Hey, Sammy, what's up?"

"Uh, do you by chance know where my clothes are…? Or, where anyone is for that matter?"

The fellow blonde frowned at that as she stood up. "Your clothes?" She seemed to just then realize Sam was only clad in a towel and covered her mouth.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, it was probably your idiot brother."

"My idiot brother who you _adore_ ," teased April and Sam felt her cheeks warm a little bit. April rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two are head-over-heels for each other and neither of you are willing to admit it. Just go do – what's Percy call it? The horizontal tango? – just go do the horizontal tango somewhere and clear the air, sweetie!"

"We're not – I'm not going to – The horizontal tango –"

"The more you stutter, the more I know you're into him!" April sing-songed.

"Whatever," Sam muttered. "He's attractive and sweet and funny, why wouldn't I be…"

April cheered. "That's what I wanted to hear! Okay! Let's go find everyone and announce the good news."

"Wait! My clothes –"

But if April cared about Sam's clothes, she didn't show it. After tying her sneakers, April looped her arm through Sam's and the two went back to the large bathroom and down the grand staircase.

A candle on the staircase caught Sam's eye, though. Tied to the railing was a balloon with an arrow pointed on it. She raised an eyebrow and looked at April. "Should we…?"

"I think we should!" said April gleefully. "The boys have probably planned something really cute for you two…I can only imagine…" she squealed and Sam rolled her eyes.

The two went down the stairs, the only sound in the entire estate was the sound of their footsteps. Sam grabbed a flashlight off one of the stands and flicked it on. "Seriously, where the hell are they?"

April shrugged. "Keep following the signs, I guess."

The two ended up in the theater. But no one was there unlike April had predicted. April and Sam both frowned.

"Hey! Guys, come on!" yelled Sam, a bit annoyed now, "I am done with this! I really don't appreciate the silent treatment here!"

"Yeah, come on Percy! Josh! Chris! Guys, where are you?" April joined in.

The two wandered farther into the theater and the doors slammed behind them. Both girls screamed and turned around, eyes wide. Their fingers intertwined, neither willing to let go of the other.

Then a distorted voice came on over the theater system. "Hello, Samantha. Hello, April."

Numbers flashed on the screen before giving away to a white screen.

"Looking for me? I don't think either of you will have much luck by looking. You're only going to see what I want you to see…"

"What the hell is going on?!" hissed April.

"Like I have a fucking clue!" Sam said back, her voice wavering.

"And I have quite a lot to show you."

On the video screen was a video of Sam in the bathtub. The next was of April sleeping, a close up of her face, a gloved hand stroking back her hair.

Sam felt her throat close up and April's grip on her hand got painfully tight.

"Oh my god…" muttered Sam.

"What the hell…" said April.

The video split and on one side was Sam and on the other April.

"They're both quite beautiful, aren't they? A beautiful bathing bird. A gorgeous sleeping beauty. Do you think either of them have any idea what lies ahead? Do you think these were the last happy moments of these creatures' lives?"

"Why are you showing this to us?" screamed April. Sam didn't trust her voice to form a sentence. She was horrified and violated. The invasion of privacy was enough to make her feel sick.

"Why are you watching?" replied the distorted voice.

The video changed to a shot of a small room. Chris and Percy seemed to be arguing over something and then Chris pulled back and hit Percy, hard, in the face. He fell over and Chris turned his attention back on whatever was in front of him.

"Percy!" yelled Sam, finally finding a reason to scream. He was fine though, as she saw him grab Chris's calf, but Chris kicked him off.

Sam risked a glance at April and she was glaring murderously at Chris. Sam couldn't help but feel pissed off at the other blond, too. Hitting Percy was over the line. _Way_ over the line.

And then something horrible. There was a close up of Josh's upper half, arms above his head, screaming in pain and agony. The angle switched to one of…of…of a _saw blade?!_ It sliced through Josh and April let loose a guttural shriek, falling to her knees upon seeing the image.

'WHAT DID YOU DO?!" roared Sam.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds," said the voice calmly. "Nine."

"No no no no," said Sam, panicking now. She tugged on April's sleeve and the other girl reluctantly stood up, tears streaming down her face.

"Seven."

"Please, no!" screamed Sam.

And then the doors behind the girls swung open with a crash, revealing a man dressed in a black jumpsuit and coveralls. There was an off-white mask covering his face, the eyes cracked and onyx black in color. The nose was broken off and the mouth was cracked, showing bubblegum pink gums and rotten yellow teeth. Greasy black hair hung down in a curtain around his shoulders, also part of the mask. In his hand was a tank of gas. And probably not laughing gas. Or maybe it was.

"Sam. April." The voice was the same one from the theater system.

"No!" Sam screamed.

"Oh, Sa-am. Apriiiiil…" the Psycho cooed. The girls screamed.

Sam grabbed a vase and chucked it at the man. It exploded on impact and the girls ran into the door to the right, sprinting through it.

"Shit, shit, shit!" hissed Sam as her bare feet slapped the ground.

They went through a door to a bed room and Sam slammed it. The girls took a brief breather as they backed away from the door. Of course, it was short lived as the door flied open with a slam, revealing the masked predator.

Sam and April jumped across the bed, running down the hall. With a start, the girls realized they were approaching the basement. The absolute _last_ thing Sam wanted to do was go in the basement, but they didn't really have a choice.

The girls hurtle down the stairs, jumping over the crack in the stairs, pushing off the wall, and continuing down the next flight for momentum. Sam grabbed her towel in an effort to hold it up and fixed it slightly as the two keep running.

Sam and April rounded the corner and sprinted into the unfinished part of the basement, breathing heavily. There were lots of places to hide and the girls looked at each other, making a split second decision. They made a right and kept running.

There was a door in front of them and Sam reached for the handle…only to realize there wasn't one. "You've got to be kidding me! April, the wine stand!"

April seemed to get the message and the two girls tipped the shelf over as the Psycho appeared. The handle fell from _somewhere_ and Sam snatched it up.

"Come on, come on!" April yelled as the girls heard the footsteps of the Psycho punching holes in the wine shelf.

Sam yanked the door open and grabbed April's wrist as she screamed: the Psycho had grabbed got her. Pulling with all her might, Sam tugged April out of his grasp and into the room, and slammed the door, sliding the deadbolt and shutting the slider as the Psycho's arm went to reach through it.

The girls heaved a sigh of relief until the banging on the door stopped. They exchanged wary glances. No sound was _never_ a good sound. They took off running again and together, the girls shoulder bashed the door ahead of them.

The door gave way and they fell down into a small hallway that dropped about a foot lower than the last floor. The two blondes fell to the ground with a grunt, instantly pushing themselves up and forging on.

They found themselves in an old dusty room with a couple tables scattered, plenty of hiding spaces available. But they didn't trust it. Not at all.

Sam and April kept running…but the Psycho was smarter.

He appeared out of nowhere and backhanded Sam, hard, in the face. Sam fell to the ground, her cheek stinging. She watched in horror as the Psycho covered April's mouth with the gas mask, lowering her gently to the floor as she slowly lost consciousness.

"I'm sorry baby girl," the Psycho whispered in April's ear, "I'm sorry."

As Sam tried to stand, the Psycho whirled around to her and jammed a syringe in her neck. Instantly, she felt woozy and began to sway. The Psycho caught her and lowered her down to.

"And you, Samantha…I'm not so sorry about."


	11. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note** : HERE. Please R&R! :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.  
 **Side Note** : This is the chapter where Josh dies, so I tried to not make it THAT gory. I'd say I succeeded, but just in case.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Nine_

I came back down the stairs to the third floor, taking them two at a time. Each time I took a step, my side burned and I hissed in pain. I hadn't realized how deep the cut had gone until I'd gotten a good look at it upstairs in the bathroom.

I cleaned it out and covered it with bandages, then pulled my ripped and bloodied T-shirt and tank top back down. I didn't take them off, knowing the extra layers would be good to keep on, even if they were in tatters.

To my dismay, Sam wasn't in the bathroom. April wasn't still safe asleep in the bedroom. Her old sweater and jeans were tossed to the side and I sincerely hoped that she'd got changed and gone out, not that the Psycho…I couldn't even imagine. And Sam…Sam was in the tub. My stomach clenched as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

Chris and Ashley were standing to the side, flashlights in hand, talking about something intensely. When Ashley saw me, she called out frantically, "They weren't up there?"

"I didn't see either of them," I growled. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, rounding on Chris. "I should have gotten them when you went after Ashley! It's not like I had any impact on your decision anyway," I said, poking his chest roughly. "If I'd done what I knew I should have, Sam and April would be _safe_."

Chris simply set his jaw. I knew he was trying to be patient, but frankly, I wanted the guy to let off a little steam. Because if he did, then I could without feeling guilty. But that wasn't Chris. "I know, man," he said quietly, "And I'm sorry. We're going to find them."

"Right," I spat. "Of course we will."

I turned down the hall, flicking on my flashlight without another word to either of them. I heard their footsteps behind me. As I passed a candle, it burst to life suddenly and I eyed it warily.

"Did that just happen?!" Ashley squeaked.

"Dammit," I heard Chris say, "What is going on around here?"

Hell if I knew. What I did know was that Sam and April were in danger. I needed to find them.

I took a second set of stairs down to the first floor and headed for the theater. The balloons. They all led to the theater.

Chris and Ash were having some conversation behind me that I didn't listen to, nor did I want to. I was too angry to really pay attention to them right now. My adrenaline was at its maximum. I felt like I was running off of lots and lots of caffeine. The pain in my side had faded into a dull throb and it was in the back of my mind.

"…know Josh was your friend. You too, Percy. You guys were close, and I want to say thank you – thank you for saving –" Ashley was saying. Something about that comment made me snap.

"We're focusing on Sam and April right now, okay Ash?" I said a bit snappishly. "Forget about Josh. It's going to be hard on all of us…let's just focus at the task, okay?"

"Percy, I was just –"

Before I got the chance to respond, Ashley cut off and I heard Chris whisper something unintelligible. She instantly quieted down and I flashed my light around the room.

There was nothing of importance in the theater that I could see. Except…the door. The single door to the left. It was wide open. We _always_ kept that door closed.

I set my jaw. "Come on. This way."

I walked through the doorway cautiously, shining my light in every dark corner and dark area in general. Chris and Ashley followed and once Chris stepped inside, the door behind us slammed unexpectedly.

"What the heck?!" exclaimed Ashley.

"This place is a freak show," I grumbled as I kept walking down the long, dark corridor.

Now, I'd watched enough slasher and horror flicks in my day. I knew long and dark corridors were basically ripe picking grounds for jump scares and killers to be hiding around that next corner. Luckily, I wasn't in a movie. Unluckily, I was stuck in a real-life slasher flick, and not enjoying my time at all.

Despite my common knowledge, I forged ahead, determined to open every door, explore every nook and cranny, and kick in the teeth of every Psycho out there until I found Sam and my sister.

At the end of the hall was a single door. Once I reached it, I grabbed the handle and started to jerk it open, before it was slammed back in my face. Ashley let out a little shriek behind me and I rolled my eyes. The girl could be scared of her own reflection.

I continued to the left of the hallway. Ahead was another door, closed. This one swung open by itself and I slowed my speed and looked behind me at Chris and Ashley. They were eying me nervously, gaze switching between the door and me.

Ash crept up behind me, Chris taking up the back. Ashley and I turned the corner and something caught my eye. It was a figure, nearly see through, floating down the back hallway. My eyes bugged out of my head and I looked at Ash for confirmation that I just saw what I thought I saw. She was looking at me, too.

"Did you see that…?" she asked me.

"So you did too, huh?" I muttered.

Chris knitted his eyebrows together. "See what? What did I miss?"

"That, Chris, that!"

"What 'that' is that?!" Chris asked, clearly thrown off.

"It was like a…see-through…Chris, I think it was a ghost!"

"Oh boy," Chris muttered.

"She's serious," I said as Ash said, "I'm serious!"

He looked at each of us skeptically, an eyebrow raised. "So you think you saw a ghost?"

"Why don't believe me?" asked Ashley, clearly sounding hurt. "I said I saw it, doesn't that count for anything?"

"We've been through hell tonight, okay? Your mind is fried. My mind is fried. Percy's mind is fried. I don't even trust what I've been seeing!"

Before they could argue, I growled, "Let's just focus on finding Sam and April, alright? We can worry about some stupid ghost later."

The two quieted down and I flashed my beam ahead, continuing on. The door to the basement opened by itself, just like the last one and I went down the stairs. Chris and Ashley were talking in hushed tones behind me.

As I walked (more like strode, really), there was a large crash ahead of me as I exited the corridor from the stairs. I didn't even blink. I heard Ashley scream a bit behind me, though. I'm not sure why I wasn't scared. Maybe it was anger or adrenaline, but I had my mind on Sam and April, and them only.

There was another crash and I ducked a little as something flew over my head. I turned around and watched Chris jump, and Ashley scream. Again.

"Woah!" yelped Chris.

They two were staring at a rocking horse which was suddenly moving back and forth.

"You knocked into it, right?" asked Chris nervously. "You knocked into it."

"I don't – I don't think so! I mean I don't know!" wailed Ashley. "How did everything get so freaky around here?! Doors slamming and candles lighting out of nowhere and that specter or whatever it was…"

I kept walking further into the basement, hearing the couple follow me a few seconds later, not listening to their idle chit-chat. It wasn't getting us anywhere. So I would.

And then I stopped. Chris was turned around, arguing with Ashley about the matter of Josh and where Sam was, when a ghost, a real ghost, walked right past us at the end of the hallway. Ashley was screeching.

"Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, turn around! Did you see it? Percy, did you?"

"Yeah, Ash, I saw."

"I didn't," muttered Chris.

"Yeah, because you were looking at your phone, you dip!" snapped Ashley. "What are you tweeting? 'Hashtag there's a freaking ghost after us'?!"

"Ash, calm down. Guys, there's no ghost. Ghost of what, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said sarcastically, "Maybe of one of our two friends who _died_ out here last year. Not to mention on _this very day._ "

"No, no, no, guys, no! What do you think, they followed us up here from the séance?"

"I don't know, maybe!" exclaimed Ashley.

"No, they didn't! Because ghosts don't exist, okay?"

"Okay, who was talking to us at the séance then, Chris?"

Their argument was getting louder and louder. Chris was flailing his arms, trying to get his point across and Ashley was just whispering very loudly, which, in retrospect, kinda defeated the purpose of the 'whisper' part.

"I don't know," came Chris's reluctant answer.

And then there was the scream, like one of a girl. Ashley jumped, and so did I, spinning around, looking to the end of the corridor where the sound came from. Then, a picture flew off the wall, prompting another scream from Ashley. Seriously, I never realized how much that girl screamed.

"How does a picture just jump off a wall like that?" wondered Chris out loud.

"They don't," I replied in a grim voice, heading towards the place where the painting came from and the ghostly woman walked. On the wall, on a hook, was an old-looking key. I snatched it and turned around, holding it up to Chris and Ash. "Hey guys look what I –"

I saw the woman. She was there, behind them, pointing to something. Not gonna lie, I felt a chill go down my spine and I think I might have peed my pants a little. She was creepy as hell.

"…found," I finished dumbly as I gestured to the ghostly figure.

They spun around as the figure started walking in the direction she was pointing and knew each of them had gotten a glimpse.

"There! Chris, you can't tell me you didn't see that!"

"Wow…that's…that's…I dunno – I just…this is fucking crazy."

"You're telling us," I mumbled as I jogged my way towards where the ghostly woman had been.

Chris and Ashley followed and around the corner where the ghost had disappeared to, there was a dollhouse. I was instantly freaked out.

I had three worst fears. Clowns. Little kids in horror movies or otherwise. And dolls. Creepy little fucking dolls with their creepy little fucking eyes and rotating heads. They gave me the major heebie-jeebies. And now, I was expected to open a dollhouse that a ghost sent me to find. Looks like I could check that off my bucket list.

I hunkered down a bit and looked inside the dollhouse. What I saw, I wasn't ready for. I felt my hands get clammy. "Guys, you – you can see inside the windows."

"Yeah," said Chris, "So?"

"Come look…"

The pair crouched on either side of me and looked in the windows.

The dollhouse was set up in some sort of elaborate design. I couldn't see too much from the tiny window, but I saw three figures, one with a camera, two others behind that one.

I stood up and examined the dollhouse. I noticed a small opening at the top and pulled the little window at the top of the house off to the side. Behind it was a keyhole.

"See?!" Ashley hissed, "The ghost is helping us!"

I pushed the old key into the lock and twisted it. The dollhouse swung open, revealing the whole scene. I felt my blood run cold.

The dollhouse was designed exactly like the night of the prank. Matt's figure had the camera. Jess and Emily's stood behind him. Mike was surrounded by the others. Ashley was beside Jess and Em. I wanted to vomit, but I had nothing left in my stomach to throw up. I was tapped dry.

"Oh god…" whispered Ashley, "It's like…it's like…"

"It's not 'like' anything," said Chris. "That's us. Hiding there, waiting for Hannah. Last year."

"But…but it's so accurate! I mean, that's where I was sitting…! And – and that's where Matt was…"

"This was set up by someone. Who was there," exclaimed Chris.

I hadn't been involved in the prank, so I stared at the set-up. It was scary how much they'd all teamed up on Hannah. And now she, and Beth, was gone, for good. And so was Josh. Josh was dead. The Washington's were all dead.

"Or someone – or something – that was watching us!" said Ashley, horrified at the idea.

"Maybe it's a warning…I think someone – I think someone put this here to mess with us."

"No, it has to be the ghost –"

I stood up suddenly, "GUYS!" Just as I said that, the doll version of Hannah's head snapped to the side, eyes opening. And by god, if that wasn't creepy…well, I don't have anything else for that. Because it was creepy as fuck.

Their heads snapped to me and I swallowed thickly as the top of the dollhouse opened. "Did that doll's…?" I let the question hang.

"Let's not talk about it!" voted Chris.

"Seconded!" agreed Ashley.

"Motion passed," I muttered as I pulled some type of book out of the top of the dollhouse. It was a diary, I realized. _Hannah's_ diary.

I flipped it open, scrolling through the pages. Each one had something to do with last year's party. And Mike. Always Mike. 'Mike' in all capital letters. 'Mike' with hearts around it and underlined _multiple_ times.

"I can't read this, guys! It's so sad!" said Ashley.

"Agreed," I said and slid the diary back into its previous place.

Somewhere, a door clicked, whether it was opened or closed, I wasn't sure.

"What was that?" whispered Ashley, her flashlight darting towards the direction of the sound.

"I dunno. It sounded like it came from over there…C'mon, Percy."

I followed Chris cautiously as we went further into the basement. It smelled like mothballs and the silence was deafening. The entire thing was filled with boxes of unpacked stuff. I knew I hated basements. They were just so freaky.

We went back to where the key was and went the other way. The door was wide open. Chris, Ash, and I exchanged worried looks.

"I say we do rock, paper, scissors," I said.

"Or, you could just go," suggested Chris.

"Oh, haha, very funny." I rolled my eyes.

"Just go, Percy!" hissed Ashley.

I swung my beam of light into the room and took a deep breath. Just a few steps into the room, a ghost/person/zombie-like thing jumped in front of me. I yelped a bit, jumping, eyes wide, heart racing.

Chris ran in the room a second later and the door slammed before Ash and I could get in.

"Goddamnit!"

"Chris! Chris!" Ashley rattled the doorknob on the door, but it didn't budge.

A second later, after Ashley's minor freak-out, the door swung open, Chris with a cocky, but bored expression all at once. "Nothing," he said confidently.

"But you did see it, Chris. For real," insisted Ash as she followed him inside and I took up the caboose.

"I saw…something," he clarified. "But where did it go?"

The room we entered looked like a storage area. Boxes were everywhere, tables stacked high with them. On one table sat a catalog. Ashley was leafing through it, a frown present on her face. "Hey, Chris, Percy…take a look at this."

I leaned over her shoulder, creasing my eyebrows at the title.

"A catalogue for…" mumbled Chris.

"…industrial light bulbs?" I finished.

"That is so random," murmured Ashley as she set down the magazine.

I turned around, looking for other objects, when a slight red flash caught my eye. Between two large boxes, was a camcorder, recording out every move.

"Uhh, guys…?"

"Yeah?" they both responded at once.

"You should look at this."

I showed them the camera and Ashley pursed her lips. "Do you think it's the guy?"

"Well, that would make sense I guess…"

"I don't like being watched," sniped Ashley.

Chris huffed and rolled his eyes, turning the camera to face the box. "Better?"

Ashley seemed to think about it for a moment before grabbing it and pointing it towards her face. "Go suck an egg!" she stated calmly, before putting it back the way Chris had put it. "Now it's better."

I shook my head and said, "Guys? Sam and April? Psycho? Let's go?"

They looked at one another, then back at me and nodded confidently.

"Let's go get your girl," said Chris.

"And your sister," replied Ashley.

I smiled to myself as I continued even deeper into the basement, knowing Chris and Ashley had my back. Because I was going to get April back. I was going to get my sister back.

But I was also going to get Sam back. And the way Chris had put it, I was going to get my girl back. That the fact that I had the guts to call her mine sent a shiver through my spine as I grinned grimly.

That Psychopath had _no_ idea who he was dealing with.


	12. Chapter Ten

**Author's Note** : I GOT ONE! Please R&R!

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Ten_

We continued on, flashlights swinging every time we heard a noise, beams shaking a bit due to the fact that we were in Josh's creepy basement. We rounded a corner and the ceiling of the basement shook a bit, bits of dust and debris falling onto our heads.

"Uhhh…what was that?" wondered Ashley aloud.

"Nothing good," was my short reply.

I stepped into a vast area and shined my light around, sucking in a breath. "Holy…"

Chris stepped up beside me, eyes wide. "There's a whole 'nother room through here! It's mammoth!"

"Guys, I'm not sure if I want to keep going," whimpered Ashley, biting her lip.

I looked at Chris, jerking my head towards her subtly. Chris got the message and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "We have to, Ash. We have to." He pressed a kiss to her temple and then nodded at me slightly.

I took that as my notion to keep moving forward. I entered through a small doorframe, the door busted off of its hinges. The walls on either side of us were in disrepair and chunks were missing. The floor was littered with pieces of drywall.

"Where the hell are we…?" I muttered as I stepped into another room.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Chris in disbelief.

"Did you know this was here?" said Ashley.

"This?" said Chris. "This is like a whole 'nother hotel. I had no idea this was here! Did you, Percy?"

"If I did, I'd tell you guys," I replied, sweeping my flashlight around the room. There was a table set up, covered in dust. A gated door ahead of us. Chris was ahead of me now, turning and stopping, looking at Ash and I.

Ashley put a hand to her forehead. "I don't know if I can take anymore of this."

"Yeah," agreed Chris. "I'm about at my limit here, too."

I flicked my gaze between each of them, shaking my head. "We have to keep going. For April. For…for Sam."

Ashley looked at me helplessly. "All I wanted to do was forget last year ever happened."

"To be honest, I'm not even sure what Hannah thought she was doing," said Chris.

"Yeah, well," replied Ashley, "you know how it is when you're crushing pretty hard on somebody."

"Great!" said Chris, "So, you're basically saying that we put a vulnerable friend in a terrible situation and essentially cause her to run away and never be heard from again?"

"If it was you," said Ash carefully, "don't you think you would have run away? I mean, who likes being made fun of?"

What Ashley was saying was making a whole lot of sense and my stomach clenched uncomfortably. She was right. Not going to lie, I was almost at my limit too, with ghosts, and psychos, and spooks galore. But _Sam._ But _April_.

I was torn between letting them continue to speak and gather their wits or forcing us to keep going.

"People don't make fun of me," quipped Chris. Leave it to him to try and make the situation at hand a bit lighter.

"To your face," Ashley and I said at the same time. We glanced at each other and bumped knuckles.

Chris knitted his eyebrows together. "What?"

"Chris, we made her look so stupid, in front of all her friends and the guy she liked. I can't imagine doing anything worse to somebody!"

"Yeah, but –"

"Can we keep moving? Please?" I asked quietly, not wanting to get more into the topic. It was still a pretty sore subject for me, even after the year.

"Yeah," agreed Ashley. "Let's go."

We kept walking and something on the ground caught my attention. It was a small, circular object, bluish-purple in color. A bracelet, I realized. _Sam's_ bracelet.

I bent down and picked it up, my hand trembling. "No," I muttered, "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Chris and Ashley quickly jogged to my side.

"What?"

"What is it?"

"It – Its Sam's bracelet. She…she, uh, she _never_ takes it off."

I felt Chris's large hand squeeze my shoulder as I slipped the bracelet in my pocket, still shaking. The Psycho got her. He had to have. There was no other explanation. In that moment, I vowed to rip the bastard limb from limb. I'd make his sick little tricks look like candy land. I wasn't sure whether I was hoping April would be with Sam or that she'd somehow gotten away.

"Come on," said Chris. "We gotta find them."

"And fast," agreed Ashley.

Ashley wandered over to an open area in of the basement and kneeled down beside a half ripped open box of newspapers. She was frowning as she tore off the 'return to sender' label.

"Whatcha got there, Ash?" I asked.

"Are these…fake newspapers? Why would anyone make fake newspapers?"

"To scare people," I muttered.

Ashley and Chris stared at me.

"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? Someone clearly doesn't want people up on this mountain. Maybe the Psycho made these to scare trespassers away."

"I have to hand it to you, Perce, that's…that's good thinking," said Chris as he swallowed roughly.

"That's what I'm worried about," I replied, and then shook my head. "Come on, let's keep moving."

But up ahead, moving further, meant going deeper. Another set of stairs waited for us, darkness at the bottom.

"You know what?" Both Chris and I turned around to see Ashley, who had stopped moving. "No."

"Ash –" began Chris, but Ashley didn't let him finish.

"No! I've had enough! I'm not going down any further into this nightmare, Chris!" She crossed her arms across her chest, looking adamant.

"Ashley…I understand, okay? I'm really freaked out, too. But –"

"Ash, what if it were Chris down there?" I interjected.

"What?" she squeaked, clearly not expecting the situation to be turned on her.

"What if it were Chris down there, alone with the Psychopath, at his complete mercy. Would you keep going?"

Ashley didn't respond.

"Then you know I have to keep going. Because not only is my _sister_ down there, but so is Sam. And you're the one…you're the one who thinks we'd perfect together."

"I think you'd be perfect together," piped up Chris.

I silenced him with a look, then turned back to Ashley. "Ash, we have to get them back. I love my sister. I love _Sam_ ," I choked out, and Ashley's eyes widened slightly.

"Goddamnit," she muttered. "You have to pull the 'I love her' card, don't you?"

I smiled slightly, but my heart wasn't really behind it. "I pulled it because it's true."

"Why do you two have to be so freaking cute…let's go before I change my mind," huffed Ashley.

I nodded and turned, Chris right behind me, and headed down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, we made a left, and then a right down a couple more stairs, landing ourselves in another decrepit room.

"Guys, I'm getting a really weird feeling from all this," muttered Ashley.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Chris. I was vaguely curious, too, so I didn't insist that we keep moving. Not just yet.

"So we're saying the same guy who made the newspapers also set up the camera, right?"

Chris nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

"It's just…it feels like he's constructing this whole story for us…then watching us run around, freaking out, seeing what we do, like it's…like it's some sort of fucking experiment!"

I felt a chill go down my spine. Ashley was making a lot of sense tonight and I didn't like it.

"Yikes," muttered Chris, "That's kinda…that actually makes a weird sorta sense."

"Right?"

They both looked at me and I shrugged, shaking my head. "I'm just as clueless as the two of you. Shall we?"

We went through the next corridor, made a left, into a room. There was a hole in the wall, big enough for us to fit through. It led to another hallway. I cursed lowly, wishing that…that wherever we were wasn't so big and maze-like.

Off to the left out of the hole, where the dead end was, were a couple of car batteries that were sparking. They were rigged up to a couple of timers. One read 'TV' the other read 'Lights'.

"That's…that would explain the theater and flickering lights," I muttered.

I turned around and went the other direction, further into the underground hotel.

In the next hole we went through was a dimly lit room, with a dummy strapped down to a table. I swallowed as I kept moving, hanging a left. There was a set of double doors, wide open, like those of a restaurant kitchen. In the room was definitely _not_ a kitchen.

The doors slammed behind us, just like all the other ones so far, and I let out a bored sigh as Ashley and Chris spun around.

Hanging on the walls were various torture instruments such as bear traps, and whips, and chains, and hooks, and saw blades, and a lot of the stuff could have also been used for S&M. I gagged when I saw that a few of the objects were slick with blood and in the back of my mind, I prayed that none of those things had been used on Sam or April.

"This is so enticing," muttered Chris over my shoulder as Ashley stood, jaw agape.

"Oh boy," she said, "Do you think all this stuff is…his…?"

"Unless the Washington's were into some freaky shit in their spare time…then, yeah, probably."

"Great! I love freaky shit!" I joked half-heartedly and Chris and Ashley managed some half-smiles.

To the right of the double doors was a full out slaughterhouse. There were hooks and chains hanging from the ceiling and from one of them, hung a dead pig. He was sliced open vertically, insides cleared out. The intestines were gone.

"Oh, no, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" whined Ashley. "Repulsive!" She covered her mouth and gagged a bit.

I shut my eyes. "You know, I see why Sam went vegan. Not gonna lie, it seems pretty appealing right now."

"This…can't be for eating," mumbled Chris.

"What the hell is that here!" exclaimed Ashley and I wished I had an answer for her. This guy was fucking insane.

"Looks like a goddamned grindhouse movie in here," noted Chris, and I wasn't going to object. He was certainly correct.

We abandoned the dead pig and walked around the old stove area where the kitchen chefs would have worked. A pin-up board caught my eye and I walked to it, Ashley beside me. The pictures hung up…they were all of us.

Only eight of us, two columns, four in each. Blood was spattered across the bottom of the board. Emily's eyes were scratched out. Jess and Matt were the only two that weren't depicted.

"That's us…" whispered Ashley.

"What is this, like a fucking hit list?! Christ!" spat Chris, waving his arm to the board.

"That's what it looks like," I replied and we all looked at each other warily. "Let's keep going. I have a feeling that we're getting close. And it's not the good kind."

Chris and Ashley went through the corridor to the right and I looked at their retreating backs. I made a split second decision and headed for the wooden door in the back.

I cautiously pushed it open, shining my light through the room. Inside was an old-fashioned movie camera. It was a projector facing the back of the room. A movie reel was flopping out of it, just waiting to be played. The light on the projector was on.

I walked up to it and rested my hand on the switch. After a deep breath and a bit of mental preparation, I flicked the old machine on.

The two feed spools began spinning and Chris and Ashley appeared by my side.

The video feed…a lump formed in my throat and I could barely breathe.

"Oh god…" muttered Ashley, "Chris…Percy…it's from last year…the stupid prank."

She was right. You could hear Jess and Emily whispering from under the bed. The camera zoomed in on Ashley, hiding in the closet.

"This is a little…this is a little uncomfortable, huh?" murmured Chris as he watched. Both of us watched with wide eyes, being that neither of us had participated in last year's prank. Chris was passed out drunk and I was consoling Sam.

Just then, Hannah walked into the room.

"I've never seen this video…she's just so…"

"So what?" I muttered.

"She's so excited…and alive."

Ashley's comment made my heart twist in my chest. It had never been said out loud that outright. That Hannah was _dead_. She was never coming back. Her or Beth never stood a chance in the snow storm that night.

She was smiling on the screen and she felt so real. But I knew she wasn't. It was footage from a year ago. The night that ruined everything.

"She has no idea," said Chris.

And then she was unbuttoning her shirt. I looked away, due to embarrassment and the fact that I just felt dirty watching the video.

"Oh jeez," whispered Ashley, covering her face.

"Woah…I forgot you were such a willful participant," said Chris quietly. I knew that his comment was directed at Ashley and I tensed, waiting for her to get angry.

"This is horrible," whispered Ashley, more to herself than us. "I couldn't feel worse."

"You…uh…" Chris trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.

"You look like you're having a good time," I mumbled, finishing Chris's thought.

"That's the worst part, isn't it? We were just playing a joke. It was supposed to be funny."

"Yeah," Chris agreed.

I stayed uncharacteristically silent.

"I never want to see this video again," said Ashley.

I watched the last scene in the video, a close-up of Hannah's face. Slowly, her mouth began to open, and then some creepy thing from the internet popped up, screaming at us, until the screen went white a second later and then turned off.

Ashley was screaming Chris's name and hugging him fiercely and I was standing stock still, numb all over. Why was this happening to us? What was going on? This was pure nightmare fuel, all of it. I had a feeling if any of us got out alive, we wouldn't be sleeping for a long, _long_ time.

"What is going _on_?!" screamed Ashley. She was on the verge of panicking now and Chris held her against him tightly, whispering her name in her ear over and over again.

"Ash, Ash, Ash, Ash! Ash, slow down, okay?"

"I can't handle this!" she whispered. "Ghosts, and these videos, and everything just flying around…"

"Just calm down, listen to me for a second –" Chris tried to say, but Ashley wasn't having it.

"What?" She jerked out of his arms. "Calm down? Why should I calm down, Chris? I am freaking out right now!"

"This has gotta be someone messing with us!" he snapped.

"What?!"

"Think about it! Ghosts don't hook up video cameras. They don't play games."

"Then who would set all this up? Seriously. I'm asking."

"Guys," I said quietly, but they didn't hear me.

"I don't know," scoffed Chris. "Maybe the same guy that tied you up and killed Josh?"

"Guys!" I snapped, a bit louder.

Their heads whipped towards me.

"I think we…we need to keep moving. I have a sinking feeling and we – we need to same Sam and April. Soon."

"You're right," they both said.

"Great. That's what I was afraid of," I muttered and we left the projector room and headed down the hall that Chris and Ash had gone down through first. We made a left and all came to a halt in front of a set of double doors. _Bloody_ double doors.

It was smeared across the ground and splattered on the door. My gut twisted at the thought that it could have been either Sam's or April's. There wasn't enough emotion in the world that could express how angry, nervous, tense, and a whole lot of other shit I was feeling in that moment.

"Oh, crap…look at that," said Chris as we got a bit closer, sweeping his light over the mess.

"Blood?!" came Ashley's strangled response.

"Might be Sam's. Or April's," said Chris. I squeezed my eyes shut as two pairs of arms enveloped me in a large hug. Warmth radiated from the two of them like a furnace and returned their embrace, taking some time to gather my thoughts.

After a few seconds, I said, "Alright, guys, that's enough." My voice was muffled from eating Chris's sweater.

The couple backed off a bit and eyed me warily. "Are you sure you're alright, Percy?" asked Ashley.

"Yeah, Ash, I'm fine. We j – just need…we need to find them."

"Let me see if I can get this," muttered Chris and he started to tug on the door handle.

I went up to his side to help him, and that door was _heavy._ Solid metal. It screeched unpleasantly on the concrete floor as we were able to open it only slightly.

"Alright," groaned Chris, "We got it. But…god…damn, this thing is heavy…you gotta get through here, Ash!"

The door was starting to shut, and Ashley was whispering our names urgently. "Chris! Percy! I think I just saw Sam over there!"

My heart dropped to my stomach.

Chris looked at me and I could tell he was trying to get a read on what I was thinking. "Ash – Ash, are you sure?"

"I don't know, but come on, we should check it out!"

"Well, I'm pretty sure whoever's bleeding came through here, okay? So we really gotta get moving, like now."

Chris's statement made me realize he was right. Sam or April could be bleeding out while we were wasting time.

"Come on, Ash!" I groaned. "They might not have much time left!"

"Okay. Okay, yeah, you're right, I'm coming."

Ashley slipped through the door and Chris and I let it slide shut, heaving sighs of relief.

The room we were in now was full of broken and tipped over shelves and it looked like a storage space. Debris littered the ground, just like every other room we'd been in so far. I swung my light around, trying to get a feel for the room. What I was getting wasn't pleasant.

We started to creep through the room when Ash veered off to look at some sort of machine. It was…steaming? No, it was making the room…colder.

"I don't get it…Why would anyone want to make this place any cooler? It's freezing."

"God only knows what goes on inside this guy's head, Ash," said Chris.

I shook my head as Ashley took the lead and I followed up the back. Once she rounded the next corner, she let out a scream, staring at something to the right.

Chris and I quickly went up beside her to see what she was staring at and my heart froze. For a moment, I think it stopped beating. Ice coated the inside of my stomach. I was shaking by now, trembling with disgust and rage.

Hanging down from a hook was a scarecrow with Sam's clothes on. The leather jacket and skirt that she looked so breathtaking in earlier. Surrounding the scarecrow were more dead pigs. It was something straight out of American Horror Story. I _hated_ American Horror Story. Gave me major chills.

"Wait…those are Sam's!" Ashley sounded horrified. She looked at me. "Oh my god, Percy, I'm so sorry, I didn't –"

"Stop," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "Just…let's find her. She isn't dead. She can't be. Not without proof."

"That's fucked up, man," said Chris, clapping me on the shoulder.

"I'll fucking kill him," I whispered, "If he laid a hand on her, I'll kill him slowly and painfully."

"Save that attitude for when we meet him," said Chris. "So this means that the Psycho must have come down here for sure. Sam and April have to be here somewhere then."

"Wait, do you think he's still down here?" hissed Ashley, her voice considerably quieter than it had been.

"I hope not," replied Chris.

"Why…is this thing even here?" groaned Ashley.

"Million dollar question," Chris muttered in reply.

We went to the next double doors and Ashley pushed them open cautiously.

Then I heard a voice. _Sam's_ voice. "Please, no!"

"You can't do this!" _April_.

But my internal alarm was screaming, _DON'T. BE CAUTIOUS. BE WARY._ It took all my willpower to not sprint to her voice. I set my jaw and stood in the doorway as Chris and Ashley moved towards Sam's voice.

"Sam?" called Ashley. Loudly. She called loudly. I bit my tongue to keep myself quiet.

I followed the two to another set of double doors. These ones had two circular windows in them to see inside. Chris and Ashley looked at me for the okay.

"Go one, let me…I'll be on lookout. Just…whatever you do, if you get caught, _don't_ yell for me. I'll come for you otherwise. I promise."

They looked scared but nodded. Ashley hugged me and Chris patted me on the shoulder. "We'll get them, man. We will."

Then Ashley pushed open the door slowly, and they entered. I held the door open a bit, peeking in and watching them.

"Oh, Chris…Oh no," I heard Ashley say and I clenched my fists.

I could see because they were in the way, but I heard them talk.

"Oh no." Ashley.

"Hello? Sam? April?" Chris.

I heard the scratching of wheels on concrete and Ashley yell, "Sam! Chris, is she dead?"

I nearly rushed in there, but I dug my fingers against the cold metal of the door to root myself to the spot. It wasn't safe. It wasn't safe.

"Holy shit, holy shit –"

"Shit. She – She's not dead," said Chris.

"How do you know?"

"She's still breathing."

Then I heard footsteps. They were coming from the door to the right of where I stood. I scrambled back and crouched in the darkness, behind one of the wooden doors that Ashley had pushed open. I could no longer hear their conversation, but it didn't matter. I knew something was going to happen.

The next thing I heard was Ashley screaming Chris's name, along with a few assorted expletives. Then I heard the Psycho's distorted scream and silently hoping that Ash had landed a good blow on him. My hope vanished when I heard the voice yell, "LIVE AND LEARN!" and then Ashley's scream cut short, followed by a thud. My heart hammered in my chest as I waited.

I peeked from behind the wooden doors and watched as the Psycho dragged Chris and Ash's unconscious forms away. He went back through some hallway, and I heard him mutter, "Gotta find the loose end…fucking Percival…fuck, fuck, fuck…"

I stayed in my position, holding my breath until I was sure he was gone.

Then I prayed a silent prayer to whoever was listening, if anyone was at all, that Ash and Chris would be alright. Because I was going to get my sister and Sam.


	13. Chapter Eleven

**Author's Note** :This is for all y'all who wanted to start seeing some more action. Fine by me. That means you have to wait to see the fluffiness that is Percy finding Sam. *evil laughter* You all asked for this. By the way. I apologize. That is all.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony, who don't even APPEAR IN THIS HERE CHAPTER.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake are mine.

 _Chapter Eleven – Matt's POV_

Matt and Emily were stuck. Completely and undeniably stuck.

The two were backed up to the edge of a cliff, surrounded by deer. Not cute Bambi-style deer, either. They were large with big racks and somehow, they seemed to look menacing even though they only came with one default facial expression.

Either way, the deer were a large issue.

Matt hoped just once, that things would go right for him. He just wanted to find the fire tower and get hell off that creepy mountain. So far, it wasn't going so well.

"Matt…!" whispered Emily harshly. "What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do?!" Her voice was on the edge of panic.

"Stay calm," Matt said steadily, surprised with the smoothness of his own voice. He was as scared as she was, if not more. "Relax…they're just deer. They just want to check us out is all…"

"No, no, no, no Matt, they're going to hurt us –"

"Shhh…" Matt shushed Emily, silencing her with a look. The deer were getting closer and closer to pushing the duo off the cliff. Matt racked his brain for a good way to get of their current situation. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind.

Instead of really thinking about it, due to lack of a quick mind, Matt started to cautiously walk towards the herd of deer. Emily's soft footsteps crunched the snow lightly behind him. The deer moved slightly to the side the closer Matt got, forming a thin pathway for the two to walk through.

Matt hefted the ax securely, in case of emergency. For a fleeting moment, he debated swinging at one of the deer, as a warning, but voted against it. The deer were already moving for them. Why aggravate the herd? It wasn't a good idea.

So Matt and Emily continued to skirt their way through the group of deer, trying to be as passive as possible.

"Just walk slow," Matt muttered, "It's okay. Come on…it's okay."

The couple made their way through at an agonizingly slow pace and finally, they climbed over a large rock, escaping the herd for good. They swung themselves down off the rock, onto a fallen log. Matt hopped off first, offering Emily a hand, who took it and got down next to Matt with a slight grunt.

The two began their walk up the snowy trail in silence. Emily led them, her large flashlight sweeping through the trees and along the path as she walked. She was uncharacteristically silent, though, and –

"If we do manage to get someone on the radio –" Whoop, there it is. "– Then we tell them we need help."

"We will," Matt insisted.

"What do we do while we wait?" she whined.

Matt suppressed a sigh of annoyance at her impatience. "We go back to the Lodge and get everyone else."

"Oh, god, not the Lodge!" Emily wailed.

Matt was mortified. Honestly, what had he _seen_ in this girl? It had been a total of around four hours, and she had already complained about ninety-nine percent of the happenings that had gone on. Granted, they were in a terrible position, Psycho following them and killing their friends and all, _but honestly_. Matt was trying really hard to resist the urge to deck Emily.

"We should stay here," she continued, "In case whoever it is needs to get back in touch with us."

"Let's get that radio working first," replied Matt.

They kept up the pace walking up the windy trail. The icy bursts of cold air were getting worse and worse by the second and Matt regretted not wearing any long underwear beneath his sweatpants.

They fire tower was in sight and not too far. The couple continued to the set of stairs that led to their means of rescue. Before they could reach the stairs, a bright spotlight turned on, illuminating the two with some extreme voltage.

Emily staggered a bit and covered her eyes as Matt did the same. "Ugh. That's freakin' bright!" she exclaimed.

Matt decided in that moment to keep track of how many times she complained on the trip so far. He figured he's start somewhere in the fifties to compensate for all the missed times.

"No kidding," Matt grunted sarcastically.

"I can't see! What is that?" Could that be counted as a complaint? Does the whiny tone in her voice automatically subject it to the complaint category? Probably. Fifty-one.

"It's just a security light," Matt reasoned, "Motion sensor probably."

Emily didn't respond and the two proceeded up the stairs. They were a bit slippery with both ice and snow, and Matt was careful not to trip and fall. The stairs themselves were pretty sketchy, holding by barely-together wood.

But if Matt thought the steps were bad, the platforms and ladders to the fire tower were a nightmare. The security light shut off just as Matt got a good look. He watched as Emily waved her flashlight around. Holes littered the rotten wood and he could already imagine the cold metal of the ladders biting into his palms.

With a suppressed shudder, he stood under the ladder as Emily began first, climbing up the shaky and decrepit structure. Once Emily disappeared from view, Matt dropped the ax onto the ground and began to scale the ladder. He hoped that wasn't a mistake.

As Emily climbed the second ladder, he heard her _wonderful_ voice across the wind, "Ugh, why is it so windy all of the sudden?!"

Fifty-two.

"We're almost inside!" Matt yelled in response and started up the ladder after her. He heard a brief crash. When he reached the top, he saw Emily disappearing into the fire tower. After a brief climb up the last ladder, Matt pulled himself inside and shut the hatch, locking it with the deadbolt.

Emily dusted herself off and Matt gave a quick sigh of relief. It wasn't much warmer in the tower, in fact, not at all, but it served as defense from the wind and that was enough to be substantial.

"You alright?" Matt muttered as he brushed himself off as well, dropping a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Yeah…" she said, but she didn't really sound like she meant it.

Emily wandered around the tower, illuminating certain areas with her flashlight. She pressed the 'print' button on the printer, but nothing happened. No flash of lights, no beeping or whirring, nothing.

"Yeah. So. No power," she grumbled.

Matt decided to count that as fifty-three.

She pulled open a locker. It was empty except for a 'Missing' poster for Hannah. Matt felt his throat close up and swallowed roughly. He remembered the prank all too well. He remembered filming the entire thing. He had been a willing participant. Nothing felt worse.

"Sorry, Hannah," murmured Emily as she examined the piece of paper, "You're still missing…"

"After tonight, their disappearance is starting to make more sense," Matt muttered in response, looking at the poster of Emily's shoulder.

Emily didn't respond, but she went to the door that led to the balcony of the fire tower. After a brief struggle, she wrenched the door open and walked outside. Matt poked his head outside as she fiddled with the fuse box. She flipped the switch and it was like…well, it was like someone flipped a switch.

The lights to the balcony came on. Inside, the static from the radio greeted their ears.

"Fuck yeah! Here we go!" cheered Emily. Matt couldn't help but smile a bit. They were really going to be rescued. They'd get out alive.

"Nice work," he appraised and Emily smiled back at him.

"Okay. Score one for Matt and Emily."

They two went back inside and Emily pressed the red button on the radio. The light lit up green and Em turned the dial, getting nothing but static until: "…ranger service for Blackwood County, over."

Matt watched as Emily's eyes widened slightly and she pressed the button down on the microphone, holding it.

"Hello? Anyone there? Hello? Please say something if you're out there, please, we need help! Over! Over!" There was nothing but silence. "Shit…"

"…Hello?" A masculine voice came over the radio and Emily's shoulders visibly sagged in relief.

"Oh my god! Thank you! We need help, please!"

"…Hello, is someone trying to contact us? This is the park ranger service for Blackwood County. We're not getting your signal very well. Please speak slowly and clearly, over."

"Please! Please, please, please help!" Emily said in a rapid fire tone. So much for slowly and clearly. "Oh my god, we're stuck up on Blackwood Mountain, and there's a maniac –"

"If you can hear this, please repeat your message. I am unable understand what you are saying, over."

"We need help, please!" she yelled into the microphone, cutting off the ranger. Matt stared at Emily, a miffed expression on his face. Was something about slow and clear difficult to understand?

"Hello?" the ranger asked. "Can you please identify yourself? Over."

"Oh my god, okay, this is…My name is Emily…Hello?" That time, she spoke slower and clearer, which calmed Matt's nerves a fraction. Emily twisted the dial a bit.

"You're not coming through clearly, please repeat, over." Matt held back an irritated groan. The service on the mountain was shit, that was common knowledge, but Matt had a hard time believing it could be _this_ bad.

"We're on…Blackwood Mountain…" Emily began. "By the ski lodge…there's a killer and he's after us and he's already killed one of our friends. Oh god, please help, you've got to help us!" With each word, Emily's voice became higher and more strained, more difficult to understand. Matt resisted the urge to take the microphone. Matt usually had patience. Tonight was _not_ one of those nights.

Below them, the security light turned on and Matt's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Something tripped the motion sensor. Probably a fucking deer.

"I read you ma'am," came the ranger's voice. Well, _finally_. "Please do not leave your position. We will send out helicopters to get you as soon as the storm has subsided, over."

Matt exhaled with relief.

Emily did not, however. "What? When? How long?" she demanded.

"Dawn, at the earliest," replied the ranger. "Not until dawn."

Then there was a _huge fucking crash against the hatch_.

"Jesus!" yelped Matt.

They turned around, staring at the hatch as it rattled loudly.

"Oh my god, he's here, he's coming for me!" screeched Emily.

Matt took a moment to give Emily a miffed expression. He was coming for _her_?! At this point, Matt was half inclined to let the Psycho have the selfish bitch.

The banging only lasted for a little bit, until the wooden floorboards near the hatch rattled, and then stopped altogether. Matt held his breath. He wasn't about to believe that the bastard had already given up.

And then the tower started moving. The _tower_ started leaning over _sideways._

"OH MY GOD, MATT, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" screamed Emily.

"The tower!" Matt yelled as realization hit him. It was falling. The fire tower was going to fall.

"Oh god!"

"Shit!" hissed Matt. "Don't move!"

All around them, tables and chairs started scratching against the wood, sliding with gravity.

"What the fuck?!" Matt grunted as he grabbed onto a piece of the window ledge. But Emily hadn't held on. When did she ever listen to him? She went flying into the glass window below, landing with a rough _thud_. Matt heard the glass crack, but it didn't break.

As much as Emily annoyed Matt, she was his girlfriend. At some point, she'd claimed his heart, and he couldn't bear the thought of her dying. No. No, he couldn't. Because even though she was a selfish bitch with zero soul and no regard for anyone's feelings…where was Matt going with this? Oh, right, even though she was a terrible person, she was still that. A _person._ A person who did occasionally have a heart and she was still special to Matt. No one deserved to go out like this.

"No!" he yelled. "Emily! EMILY!"

The glass didn't break, but for a moment, the tower stayed sideways, only slightly balanced. The radio came unplugged and plummeted towards Emily, who, luckily, dodged it only slightly. The radio smashed through the glass into the depths below. Emily screamed, and, unluckily, when she dodged the radio, it weakened the glass she was on. The rest of it shattered and she fell, slamming into the metal railing and holding on just barely.

"Fuck me!" she screamed. In the back of Matt's mind he thought briefly, this is not a good time to be horny, Em! But then he felt bad, so he didn't voice his thoughts.

"Jesus shit!" she exclaimed, grasping the railing. More flaming debris went flying out of the smashed glass and Matt couldn't really see from where he was hanging what was going on.

He could hear her scream as the tower began moving again, sinking towards the pit below.

"OH SHIT!" screamed Matt and the tower plunged into the hole, sliding down beneath the surface, and securely trapped the two underground.

Matt began scaling the sides of the walls. Fire and burning debris surrounded him as he tried to find a way to get to Emily. He had to get there before it was too late.

"Oh, fuck!" he muttered. This was certainly not an ideal situation. He climbed across the sides and the tower moved a bit, sinking a bit more. "Oh, FUCK! Dammit!" he cursed as he squeezed out of the interior of what used to be the fire tower. "Dammit!" The tower continued to sink down further as Matt gripped the handles of the ladder.

He climbed through the hole when he heard Emily's voice. "MATT! OH GOD, MATT, HELP ME, PLEASE!" Fifty-four? Nah, that's insensitive.

"I'm comin'!" he tried to assure her. "I'm comin'!"

Matt inched his way to the edge of the tower and saw where Emily was. He instantly knew that this would not be easy. She was standing on the metal railing, grasping desperately, trying to stay on the thin platform.

"Em, this is pretty unsteady over here"! Matt hollered as the wood creaked and protested under his weight.

"Matt, you've got to do something now, what are you waiting for?!" she screamed. Oh. Definitely fifty-five. There it was. That lovely voice that brought a smile to Matt's face every morning. The voice of an angel that brought Matt the joy in his life. _Cough_.

"I'm thinking!" Matt snapped as he glanced over the edge. Emily was holding on, one hand extended out towards him. "Let me think!"

"Don't think, you idiot, just get me outta here!"

Fifty-six.

Matt was highly debating leaving her at this point. But he knew he couldn't. The guilt…he wouldn't have been able to live with the guilt.

"Emily, you're upset, you need to calm down," he ground out. The only way they were going to get out was if Emily calmed down. She was in a dire situation, yes, but being like an annoying gnat in Matt's ear was _not_ helping him. "You're gonna be fine –"

"Ugh, stop talking, I can't take it!"

Fifty-seven.

That put Matt over the edge. "Stop yelling at me and let me work this out, okay?!" he yelled harshly.

"No, you stop it, why do you question every little thing that I say?! I'm goddamned sick of it!"

Fifty-eight.

Matt bit his tongue and resisted the urge to yell back, _Yeah, well, you're going to be a lot more than dead if you don't shut the fuck up!_ But he didn't. After a brief internal debate with his conscious, Matt sighed. "I am going to try and get you and pull you up."

"Now will you please get me off this goddamned tower? Please, please, please, Matt, just do something!"

Fifty-nine.

For a brief second, Matt almost said _no_. But he reached down to grab her hand anyway. _Mistake numero uno_.

"I'm coming…here…Ugh!" Matt grunted as the tower shifted again and Emily's foot slipped. She was hanging now, by the railing itself.

"Shit!" she hissed. "Oh, shit! Matt!"

"Woah, woah," muttered Matt. "I don't wanna tip it," he said as he balanced on the uneven beam of the underside of the tower. He crouched down, reaching out to Emily. "Oh…come on! Come on!"

"Jesus!"

The tower moved just as their fingertips brushed.

And then Emily slipped and plummeted down into the deep darkness below.

"Emily!" Matt yelled. "Oh fuck!" The tower moved even more, not stopping. It sunk further and further into the ground. "Oh fuck!" Just as the entire thing fell completely, Matt dove into a wooden tunnel, landing roughly on his shoulder. He grunted on impact and the tower disappeared in the hole.

Matt coughed as he stumbled to his feet. "Emily…" he choked out. "Oh no…Em…Em…" He stumbled to the edge of the wooden ground and yelled over the edge, "EMILY! EMILY!"

But he knew she was gone. He hadn't been able to save her. He hadn't gotten the chance. He failed her when she needed him most, and because of him, Emily had fallen into the deep, hulking pit. There was no way she could have survived.

Masses of wood burned around Matt as he began to make his way down the tunnel-like platform on which he'd landed. It was dark except for the brief illumination of the firelight and the moonlight from the hole in the cavern.

Just then, there was an inhuman like screech behind Matt. He spun around, eyes darting around his surroundings. He didn't see anything, but he couldn't shake the eerie feeling that something was following him. That something was watching him.

Then something yanked him down by the back of his jacket. His struck the ground roughly and whatever had a grip on him began dragging him backwards. He struggled as he tried to get out of the grip of whatever had him, but the attempt was futile.

"NO!" he yelled. "GET OFF! GET OFF! ARGH! LET GO! LET GO!"

But whatever had him didn't let go. It dragged him and dragged him, until, yes, it finally did let go. Matt scrambled to his feet, breaths coming out quickly and raggedly at the sight around him. The screech echoed again, much louder this time.

In the small cave were rows upon rows of hooks. Big hooks. Not like fishing hooks, like…like human hooks.

Something – the thing, whatever it was – grasped Matt's arms and thrust him upwards towards the hooks. Matt realized what was happening all too late.

As he reached for the hands on the back of his jacket, the hook punctured through his throat, and came out through his mouth. He grabbed the hook, but he could already feel his strength draining rapidly.

Hot liquid with a coppery taste filled Matt's mouth and poured down his chest. He struggled briefly, _very_ briefly, before he began to choke on his own blood. It wasn't particularly slow, but it wasn't a fast death, by any means, either.

After a few short moments, Matt ceased to swing on the hook, his eyes rolling back up into his head. His hands slipped from their grasp around the hook and his feet twitched as his nerves began to give out.

And finally, Matt was erased from existence.

* * *

I'd like to say I do regret killing off Matt. I truly did like his character, but with wanting to kill off four of them, him and the others I chose were the only ones that would be the least painful. Because if I didn't kill Matt, than either Ashley or Chris would have gone, and I sure as hell don't want that. By comments, none of you guys did, either. So I do apologize, may Mat forever live within our hearts. God bless his poor soul.

Goddamnit, Hannah.


	14. Chapter Twelve

**Author's Note** : And here it is. Chapter Twelve, edited and finished. This one took me a bit due to a.) school and b.) new season premieres of TV shows starting up. Watched Agents of SHIELD last night and...wow. That was awesome. I should really work on that fanfic...*cough* ANYWAY. So, please, go on and R&R this chapter, follow or favorite if your heart desires, it means a lot. Enjoy!

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony, who are pretty freaking pissed the entirety of this chapter.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine. (I just realized that the 'mistake' on here isn't plural. Literally an editing mistake in the editing warning. Wow. *claps*)

 _Chapter Twelve – Back to Percy_

The Psycho's footsteps got further and further and quieter and quieter until they disappeared completely. I was as silent as I could be, creeping to the double doors and pushing them open. My breath caught when I saw them.

Sam and April were both tied up in wooden chairs. April looked unharmed, but Sam…Sam was a mess. There was a large bruise on her cheek and a red spot on her neck where it looked like she was injected with something. Her lower lip had a bit of dried blood on it. She was clad in only a towel, and otherwise, I would have been hella embarrassed, but the only thing I felt was panic.

I ran towards them: April was stirring, but Sam was still out cold.

I decided to let my sister wake on her own and knelt beside Sam, taking her bare shoulders gently in my hands. I shook her carefully. "Sam? Sam, hey, Sam? Sam, sweetheart, wake up. C'mon, I know you're in there."

After a few more tries, she finally started to come to a bit, and I let out a breath I hadn't known that I'd been holding.

I put one hand on her cheek, tapping her a bit, "Sam? Come on, Goldilocks, look at me. Almost there."

Her eyes fluttered open and focused on my face after a moment. "Percy…?"

"Oh, thank god," I muttered and furiously began undoing the binding on her calves that kept her legs tied together.

"Percy? Percy, what happened? Where's April? What the hell is going on?"

"April's right here. Don't worry," I said as I started on her hands that were tied behind the chair. "I'll explain everything once I get you guys out of here, I promise." I left a beat of silence. And then, "Sam?"

"Yeah?" her voice was timid and quiet.

"Who hit you?"

She didn't answer me for a long moment, before, "He did. The Psycho."

My jaw set angrily and my nostrils flared. I didn't get angry easy, but this…I was beyond mad. I was furious. I was enraged.

Once the bindings on her hands were gone, Sam spun the chair around and launched herself into my arms, hugging me tightly. I was acutely aware of the fact that she was only wearing a towel and there was very minimal material keeping her decent. But I pushed that thought aside and focused on the fact that she was alright.

Sam pulled away from my embrace a moment and glanced down at my side. She let her fingers trail lightly over the tear in my shirt, sucking in a breath upon seeing the dried blood. Her eyes ran over my face, drinking in my appearance, which had to have been a _sight_. My nose and cheek were throbbing, so I knew they'd been bruised. My lip was split. My hair was crusty and plastered on my forehead, and I figured it was from dried blood as well. I was no Prince Charming, that was for sure, but Sam didn't seem to care.

"What happened?" she murmured, her gaze set on my side.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you," I countered.

Sam's eyes met mine and I thought I saw them darken for a moment.

I didn't have time to dwell on it though, because she whispered, "I'm alright now," and her arms twined around my neck as she pulled me down to her level, kissing me slowly, at first. _At first_. I was taken aback, but only for a moment, as I locked my hands together on the small of her back, returning the kiss with equal fervor.

It was everything I'd imagined and more. She tasted like a mixture of vanilla and blood that was enticing. I felt her tongue swipe across my lower lip, and she was so close to taking me under to the point of no return, when a voice said, "I've waited five years for this, and it finally happens when we're all being chased by a psychopath in Josh's basement. You two are going to need _years_ of professional counseling."

April's drawl quip of humor brought a smile to my face. It was a forced quip, though, her voice catching when she said Josh's name. Sam pulled away from me, her lips swollen and cheeks flushed a bright red. She was smiling shyly. I brought one hand up and let my fingertips trailed over the bruise on her cheek, my heart thudding in my chest.

I looked at April with raised eyebrows when Sam finally took a step back from me, nodding to my sister. "You could have waited until we were done, you know," I sniped as I began to untie her.

"Yes, but who knows when that would have been. Psycho killer or not, you two looked like you weren't going to be done any time soon."

"I'm kinda upset we are," I muttered as I freed April completely. She rolled her eyes and hugged me briefly. "Thank god you found us, Percy," she murmured in my arms.

"April? Sam? Percy!"

A voice floated up to us and I looked around for the source of the voice.

"Guys! Guys, down here!"

I lowered my vision and flashed my light towards the voice. Behind a set of bars was Mike, staring at us.

"Mike? Is that you?" Sam hissed.

"Shhh! Stay quiet! Get over here!"

We crouched down next to where Mike was and I exhaled a sigh of relief. "Man, thank god you found us. There…there's a Psycho on the loose and Josh…J – Josh is dead, and I don't know where the _hell_ we are!" I finished.

Mike stared at me, "Josh is dead?!"

My stomach dropped and beside Sam, I heard April sniffling softly. Sam put an arm around her shoulders and consoled her while I talked to Mike. I blew out a breath. "Yeah, yeah, he – he's gone, man. Right in front of me, Chris, and Ash. Nightmare fuel." Then I saw his fingers. "Man, what happened to your hand?"

"Man, don't worry about my fucking hand right now! You said Psycho? Yeah, I've noticed, too. We gotta get out of here."

"How'd you find us?"

"The Psycho, he lives in this, like, web of tunnels…I was trying to get out of here and then I found this grate and saw you three."

"That guy…he…he attacked Sam," I ground out. "We need to find this guy and rip him a new one."

"I won't argue with you there, bro. Man, what the fuck is going on around here?" Mike paused. "There's a door here, it won't open. Can you unlock it from your side?"

I nodded. "We'll be around."

I stood up. April was done crying for the most part, but she still looked miserable. They two stood up beside me and April wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Let's find this bastard."

I looked at Sam, who nodded, a tiny smile on her face. I reached down and threaded my fingers through hers. She squeezed my hand tightly and a warm feeling spread in my stomach.

There I was, in a decrepit, run-down hotel, being chased by a murderous psychopath, and I was grinning like an idiot. April was right. We _would_ need years of professional counseling.

"Hey! Lovebirds!" April snapped her fingers in front of face. "Don't get me wrong, real happy for you two, I'll send you a card or something, but I don't think the Psycho's gonna care if you're in love! He…he clearly doesn't…" Her voice broke and I wrapped my free arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

I murmured a few words of encouragement, along the lines of how I'd kick the ass of the crazy who did this ( _ha_ ), and she seemed to calm down a bit. She was sniffling and a bit broken, but I supposed that came with the territory. If Sam had died…well, let's not think about that. But if I knew anything about my sister, I knew she was strong. We'd get through the pain. _Together._

All of us.

April wriggled her way out of my grasp and wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. "C'mon, we need to get moving."

I nodded and glanced at Sam. Her face was stony and a bit cold and I shuddered at the poor soul who would be on the receiving end of her rage. The girl had no chill.

Sam's hand slipped out of mine and she grabbed the backpack off of the door handle, along with a yellow flashlight. Where they came from, I have no idea. I was just glad we had them.

Sam handed me the flashlight without a word and I flicked it on, easing the wooden door open cautiously. I shined the light down the hallway and looked both ways for the Psycho, before deducing it was clear.

There were a couple stairs that led down to the door Mike must've been talking about. I put a finger to my lips and hopped down the stairs. I stuck the flashlight in my mouth and lifted the wooden slab out of the holders that were keeping the door locked, and then opened the door.

Mike grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in for a hug.

As I clapped him on the back I realized that maybe, just maybe, Michael Munroe wasn't so bad after all.

After we pulled away from our man-hug, Sam surveyed him. "Geez, you look like hell!"

Mike snorted. "Nice to see you, too."

Suddenly, a thought struck me. "Mike?"

Mike glanced at me. "Yeah, man?"

"Where's Jess?"

Mike stiffened, his fists clenching at his sides. The muscle in his jaw twitched and he looked on edge. I regretted bringing it up but I had an awful feeling I knew why he was reacting the way he was.

"She's dead."

I shut my eyes tightly and ground my teeth together, trying to think of something, _anything_ , to say to Mike. My brain came up blank and I just squeezed Mike's shoulder. It was a comforting gesture, and I didn't mean to prompt Mike to continue, but he kept going.

"She got dragged through the window by the fucking Psycho. The bastard grabbed her by the hair and jerked her out. Man, I chased them. You better fucking believe I chased them. But it didn't end up mattering. I followed them into some sort of mineshaft. Her body –" Mike's voice wavered, but only for a moment. I thought I saw his eyes getting misty, but he blinked whatever semblance of tears his gaze had held. "Her body was on this platform, all broken and bloody. It was – it was horrible. Then the platform fell – right through the ground. She's dead."

I squeezed Mike's shoulder even tighter as April and Sam enveloped him into a hug. He hugged them back, and I felt him tense up. I swear, he was holding the girls as if they might disappear any moment.

"I'm…I'm okay. Really, guys, I'm fine. Let's focus on getting the son of a bitch, right? We need…where are Chris and Ashley?"

The girls released Mike and he fixed me with a questioning gaze.

"I heard the Psycho drag them of somewhere. We need to find them," I replied.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move it, slowpokes, we don't got all day!"

Sam rolled her eyes and moved to the back of the room, setting down her backpack.

"What're you doing?" I whispered, my flashlight trained on her slim figure. The slight curvature of the towel over her – No! Bad Percy. Focus.

"Well, actually," she drawled, "the towel didn't turn out to be the best outfit for fighting off killer maniacs, you know?"

We all smirked at her and Mike crossed his arms. Sam glared at us.

"Do you mind? Guys? Percy, keep the flashlight over here."

Mike and April turned around, but I kept looking at her. I raised my hand.

Sam raised an eyebrow at me. "Yes, Percy?"

"Since I'm holding the flashlight, do I get a free pass?"

"Find me when we aren't getting chased by a killer. Then we'll talk." Then she winked at me and motioned for me to turn around.

I figured that was the best offer I was going to get, so I spun around, keeping the flashlight behind me, shining it in Sam's general direction.

After a few moments of shuffling behind me, Sam finally grunted, "We're good!"

The three of us turned around and I raised an eyebrow at her as she stuffed the dirty towel in her backpack. She was wearing a pair of gray yoga capris and a white T-shirt. She was zipping up a red jacket over top.

Without really thinking about it, I said, "Really?"

Sam glanced up and smirked at me. "What?"

"We're going to be – most likely – running from a maniac, and you decide to wear yoga pants. Are you trying to distract me, because, honestly, now isn't really the best time!"

Sam sauntered over to me and put her hands on my chest leaning up real close to my face. "Someone's got a big sense of their own importance," she murmured, her hot breath drifting across my face. Before I could say anything, she pecked me on the lips, then pushed away from me, shouldering her backpack. "Come on. Let's put this thing to bed."

Mike was staring at the two of us. He pointed at me, then at Sam, then back at me. "So wait. You two…then…of all the timing, you choose now?!"

"Beggars can't be choosers," I said with a shrug.

April snorted. "And everyone knows you were begging."

I huffed and was about to reply, when a sound cut me off. It sounded like a voice. _Ashley's_ voice, to be specific. Then there was Chris's, right behind Ashley's, just as panicked, if not more.

"What was that?" Sam whispered cautiously.

"Is that crying?" Mike muttered.

We crept out in a door-sized hole in the brick wall. In front of us was a metal door. I wordlessly handed April the flashlight and then jerked my head in Mike's direction.

He nodded in understanding and the two of us settled on the door. "On three?" he asked.

"Right."

"Okay…one…two…"

"Wait!"

Mike looked at me, annoyed. "What?!"

"On three or after three?"

He stared at me and sighed, clearly miffed. "On three!"

"Okay, okay, geez!"

"One…two…three!"

The door fell open and Mike and I stumbled inside. The lights were off and we couldn't see much. Sam and April came up beside us as lights flicked on. April shut off the flashlight.

The room we were in was huge and messy. Boxes and random stuff just littered the floor. We couldn't really see much else except for the horrid situation illuminated in front of us.

Ashley and Chris were strapped down to some wooden chairs, a table between them. Ashley was facing away from us and Chris wasn't looking in our direction. Above them was a pair of saw blades that were stopped just over their heads. A camera sat off to the side, the light blinking red, signaling that it was recording. There was something in Chris's hand. Was that a…a gun?

Then I saw him. The Psycho. My stomach twisted and the back of my throat burned. I went to move to him and beat him senseless, but a pair of hands grabbed both mine. Behind me, April was grasping my left hand and Sam, my right. Each of them squeezed my respective hand and I stepped back, my legs stiff.

"No! No, no, no!" That was Ashley. "Get away!"

Chris fired three shots at the man, but nothing happened. The maniac didn't even flinch. I saw Chris look at the gun in his hand, before pulling the trigger again, but it clicked and nothing happened.

"Oh Chris…" The Psycho said. His voice was modulated, just like the horrible one that was on the communication system when Josh died. I clenched my jaw, my grip tightening on both girls' hands. If it hurt either one of them, they didn't say anything.

"Oh Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris," the maniac tutted, almost like he was reprimanding a child.

"What the fuck?!" Chris spat, fiddling with the gun.

"Oh, you've heard of blanks before?" The man continued around the side of the pair. "I mean, really?" And then the man reached for his mask, before slowly removing it and dropping it to the ground.

My breath caught. No. No, no, no. This wasn't right. How the fuck…?

It was Josh. Joshua Washington, alive, in the flesh. He had been the Psycho. The messed-up motherfucker had been _toying_ with us the entire time. He'd _hit_ Sam. I was facing so many emotions, I hadn't even realized how tight April's grip had gotten on my hand.

I looked over at her. Her face was contorted up in confusion, but slowly, yet surely, her confusion gave way to anger. Pure rage. I'd seen April angry before, but this was a whole new level of pissed off. As I looked at Josh and the four of us – Mike, April, Sam, and I – stepped forward, I realized that I was planning on doing exactly what I told Mike we were going to do. I was going to rip Josh Washington a new one.

For tricking us into thinking he was dead. For torturing all of us slowly. For yelling at April. For _scaring_ April. For tying them up. For hitting Ashley. For hitting me. For hitting Chris. For hitting _Sam_. For _Jessica_.

"…Josh?" Chris's voice was laced with incredulity and disbelief, and a hint of anger showing through.

Josh broke into laughter, arms spread wide. But it wasn't the Josh Washington laughter we were used to. It was scary, like a true mad-man's laugh.

"Josh?" Sam wondered aloud beside me.

"Josh…" That was Mike.

April and I were silent. Uncharacteristically silent, our eyes not leaving the figure of our former friend. I hadn't even realized that Sam was over by Chris and Ashley. Mike was advancing slowly on Chris and Ashley's restrained forms. My sister and I stood rigid, hand in hand, neither one of us trusting ourselves to speak. Not yet, anyway.

"Oh, oh very good!" Josh exclaimed. "Every one of you, you got my name!" His eyes settled on April and I. "Except the dear Anthony twins. How about you guys? You wanna take a shot?"

We didn't say a word.

Josh shrugged. "Well, props to the rest of you! After all you've been through! Good, good, good, good, I mean, how does that feel?"

Sam and Mike were untying Chris and Ashley while Josh spoke.

"Right? How does it feel? Do you _enjoy_ feeling terrorized? Humiliated? I mean, panicked? All those emotions that my sisters got to feel once one year ago. Only guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off!" Josh was on an emotional cliff and he was teetering _very_ close to the edge. I mean, you could _hear_ the insanity in his voice. I knew Josh had been going to a professional therapist and taking medication since the accident. I just wondered how long it had been since that medication had been touched. I had a sinking feeling that it had been quite a long time.

"No! Nope! No, no, no!" He continued, laughing that maniacal laughter that brought chills to my spine. "They're gone!"

"I don't know if you've noticed this, Josh, but none of us are laughing!" snapped Mike.

April and I had begun to slowly move our way to the group. We stopped, me beside Sam, April by Ashley. Our fingers were still tightly woven together. April's free hand found Ashley's shoulder. Sam and I didn't even look at each other.

"Oh, come. Come, come, come, come. Why the long faces? Come on! It's good to get the heart racing every now and then, right? And race they did, I mean, every one of you, just pitter-pat, pitter-pat! I hope you appreciated my little phantasmagorical spectacle!"

Josh was pacing now, his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in front of us.

"I mean, no detail too small! No opportunity missed! It was such a delight to play the puppet master to – to all of your Pavlovian panic!" Josh's voice suddenly got quiet, a wicked grin spreading across his twisted features. "And all that gore? I mean, gore, there was gore galore! Fake bodies…I mean…God, that shit was expensive! And no retakes! Nope, nope, nope, only double takes! Aw, you should have seen your faces. Hook, line, and sinker for every little stinker!" Josh finished off his speech, raising his hands in the air, a smirk on his face.

"Josh, why are you doing this?" asked Sam. Her voice was quiet and controlled, but I could tell it was hard for her to keep her composure. Our shoulders were brushing and I could feel her shaking.

Mike scoffed. "Don't even ask this squirrelly little runt. He's got no clue. He's out of his fucking tree!"

"Well, he's definitely off his meds," said Chris, throwing a pointed glare at the guy who used to my best friend, standing in front of us.

April's hand slipped from mine and she slowly began advancing on Josh. I made no grab to hold her back. "What…the _fuck_ …" she hissed. The room got quiet. I swear, not a soul was breathing. April rarely swore, especially to that caliber. When she swore, people listened.

Josh's eyes were glued to my sister's figure, a bit crazy and a bit resentful.

"What…the _fuck_ …were you thinking? You scared the living shit out of me. You _hit_ Sam. You let me think you died angry at me, for fuck's sake over that stupid spirit board! And all for what? Some kicks? Some stupid, half-assed, revenge prank to get us all back?! Well, newsflash, asshole, half of us weren't involved in the prank that got Hannah and Beth killed! Chris was passed out drunk! I was with Beth in the kitchen! Sam and Percy were probably off making out somewhere! The only one involved was Ashley – no offense, Ash – but it wasn't even her idea! She felt the worst after it was over! You're a sick fuck, you know that?" And to punctuate her point, April reared back and slapped Josh hard across the face. _Hard_.

Josh's head snapped to the side. He turned his head slowly, looking down at her, confusion throughout his gaze. Like he truly didn't realize what a horrible thing he'd done. He went to put his hands on April's arms, but that snapped me out of my daze. I stepped around the table too, but stayed farther back. "Don't lay a _fucking_ hand on her," I growled.

Josh caught my eye and dropped his hands to his sides. "April, sweetheart, I swear, I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I had to be convincing, you get that right? It was all a joke! Just like with my sisters, right? It was a joke!" He turned his attention to the rest of us as April began to back away from him. "Aw, come on, you guys! Revenge is the best medicine!"

"You're done!" Mike spat.

"Mike, he's sick –" Chris tried to reason.

"Shut up, Chris," I bit out. The blonde fell silent.

Josh was staring at us like we all pissed in his cereal. "What? Come on, you guys are all going to thank me when you guys become internet sensations!"

"What?" said April, clearly not believing what she was hearing.

"Oh, you better believe this little puppy is going viral, ladies and germs. I mean we got unrequited love. We got…we got blood! I don't think there's enough hard drives in China to count all the views we're gonna get, you guys!"

"You little fuck," I sneered.

Josh looked at me, a pitying look on his face. "Come on, Perce! You and Sam! Part of that 'unrequited love' thing! Remember when I told you in the ninth grade that tragic situations are the best for admitting feelings, and here we are! I think – I think you should be _thanking_ me." He crossed his arms with a smug grin.

"Thanking you?" I sniped out. " _Thanking_ you? Josh, you're sick! Not mentally sick, just fucking sick! You hurt my sister. You hurt Sam. You hurt my friends. And you hurt me. It wasn't a joke. It was torture. It was fucking torture, it was messed-up, fucked up torture.

"We're all sorry for what happened to Beth and Hannah, but April's right. Most of us here, we weren't even involved. But you have to let it go, Josh. If this sick little stunt of yours helped you realize the fact that your sisters aren't coming back, then good. I'm glad you've finally pulled your head out of your ass, even though it took hurting those closest to you.

"All of us wanted to help you, Josh. Do you get that? We wanted to help you get through it. Beth and Hannah were your sisters in blood, yes, but they were our sisters, too. Maybe not technically, but we loved them. And now you've given up your only friends for a bit of revenge, which probably doesn't feel so satisfying now, huh?"

Josh's face fell as I continued. "Well, I'm gonna help you wake up a bit more now. Because your head may have been out of your ass when you decided to go through with this little stunt, but your eyes were still closed. And now, you've lost your only friends. If you thought we could all go back to the way it was after this, all buddy-buddy, and that this would finally help you, you're wrong. You were dead wrong.

"I can assure you that most of us here are _done_ with you, Josh. I can't speak for the rest of us. I don't know how they're taking this. But can you imagine what it feels like to think your best friend is dead, and then you realize he was fucking with you the entire time?

"You fucked me up, Mike. You fucked April up. And I hate you for that. I hate you. And maybe that's taking it a bit far. But looking at you makes me sick. I hate you. I hope you go to jail. I someone makes you their bitch in some fucking prison. You're going to hate yourself as much as I hate you now. This," I said, signaling between me and Josh, "Our friendship. It's over. And it ain't ever coming back."

I found myself moving forward, unleashing a wicked right hook to his jaw. "So that was for my sister!"

Josh stumbled back a bit and I stalked toward him. As soon as I was close enough, I wound back again, this time hitting him with a hard jab to the nose. "And that was for Sam!"

He collapsed, but before I could come down on his vulnerable form, a hand latched to my forearm.

I spun around, fuming, prepared to push away whoever had grabbed me. It was Sam, her eyes pleading. "Ease up, Percy. Come on."

I didn't look at her though, my gaze zoomed in on April, who was crying, tears streaming down her face. I shook off Sam's hand and made my way over to my sister, wrapping her in a hug. Her fists pounded against my chest, but I didn't let her go. She began to settle, but not much.

"Why should he ease up? Jessica is fucking _dead_!" snarled Mike.

That seemed to shock Josh out of his little game. His eyes widened slightly and his head cocked a bit as he stood up, pinching his nose to stop the blood flow. "What?"

"Did you hear me?" hissed Mike as he made his way around the table. "Jessica is dead and you are gonna fucking pay, you dick!" Without another word, Mike pistol whipped Josh, who crumpled to the ground, effectively unconscious.

The six of us stood around, looking at one another, not saying a word. It was like that for a while. Nothing but the steady silence filling the space as we finally comprehended that the wicked nightmare that Josh put us through was over.

Chris broke the silence. "Mike, Percy, and I will take Josh to the shed. Tie him up, call the police. You guys should get up to the Lodge and try to stay warm. I'm sure Matt and Emily will be back from the fire tower soon. You think you girls will be okay?"

Heads nodded from the three girls and April untangled herself from me. I tucked a piece of hair back behind her hair. "You okay?"

"No," she answered, "I'm a fucking hot mess. You…you…I want to thank you, but still, you did a number on…on…" April shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'll manage. Go, we'll be alright."

I nodded and my eyes locked with Sam. She crossed over to me wordlessly and went up on her tiptoes, pressing a lingering kiss to my mouth. "Don't kill him, alright? He's…he is sick. Mentally." She sighed and pushed my chest a bit. "Go on, the guys are waiting."

I looked up to find she was right. Chris and Mike had hefted Josh's unconscious form up and were looking at me expectantly. There was somewhat of a smile on each of their faces: Mike's was a little sad and Chris's was a bit wistful.

"Right." I reluctantly jogged over to Chris and Mike and leveled my gaze at both of them. "Let's tie up this motherfucker."


	15. Chapter Thirteen

**Author's Note** : Mmkay. So this is a bit shorter. Deal with it.

I'd like to point out that some people are a bit angry that I killed off Matt, and that's expected to come with the territory. And if I haven't cleared it up, Jess _is_ dead. Completely. So there's two. But listen here. Matt was the lesser evil. Got that? Lesser. Evil. I like Matt. Trust me, I do. But I mean, hey, deal with it. It's obvious I'm not going to keep everyone happy, but don't throw hate out there because I killed someone off. It's gonna happen. I made my decision and if you stop reading my story because of a petty issue like this, then that's your problem. So yeah. I had to put that out there.

Anyway, I got a PM for another Until Dawn fanfic after I finish this one, so I'll be working on that in between this one's chapters. We're looking at a LOT of backstory in it (like eighteen chapters of backstory until we hit the Prank). Most will be short little oneshots of stuff I think will be important for you all to know. So you have that to look forward to! I also have a Percy Jackson idea floating with me, but it's not flowing the way I'd like it to.

That's it, I think. So enjoy!

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony, who are both still super pissed, even though you don't even see April.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

 _Chapter Thirteen_

Mike shoved Josh along the snowy path. He stumbled a few steps forward. I had my jaw set, glaring at the back of my old friend's head. It took all my willpower to not open a can of whoop-ass on him.

Josh turned around, facing me, Chris, and Mike, a wild look in his eyes. "Guys! Guys, come on! Seriously, this is crazy, you know?"

Mike kept walking, right up in Josh's face. He had the gun clenched tightly in his fist and I regretted not taking the weapon away from him. Mike pushed him back a bit. "Shut up," he bit out.

"Why'd ya hit her man? Why'd you have to fucking hit her?!" asked Chris incredulously, coming up behind Mike. He suddenly lunged forward and punched Josh in the face. Josh went down to his knees and Chris shook his fist, cradling his knuckles.

I went to Mike's other side and ground my teeth together, weighing my words. "You backhanded Sam. You hit Ashley. Man, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What are you talking about?" He grunted as he tried to get back up.

I stuck my foot out and kicked him in the ribs so he fell flat to the snow.

"You punched Ashley you piece of shit!" yelled Chris.

Josh struggled to his feet, groaning in pain. This time, I let him stand up, crossing my arms, nostrils flaring. I was itching to knock him back down, but I couldn't. Not yet. Sam told me to go easy and April…well, she wasn't exactly thinking straight.

It blew my mind that she'd gone to lengths to almost try and protect that creep. After what he did to all of us, and April didn't expect me to go ape on him. The sheer idea was crazy. There was no way that I was going to let Josh off like that. No fucking way.

"I got…so mad," hissed Josh. I waited for him to continue, but that was it. His excuse was that he was angry.

"You don't hit a girl," spat Chris.

Without a word, I jerked back and punched Josh in the nose. He went down again, this time spitting blood onto the white snow.

"Sorry," I said bitterly. "I'm a bit pissed off myself."

Josh stood up, this time looking utterly broken. "Dude…Dude, Chris…Percy…Bros…I –"

"I'm not your bro!" snapped Chris.

Josh looked at me helplessly. I shrugged, a sneer twisted across my face. "Don't look at me. I'd rather get it on with Emily than help you out."

Josh winced.

Mike took initiative and grabbed Josh's arm as we started moving again. "C'mon," he grunted.

"Where are we going?" asked Josh. "Where are you guys taking me?"

"Locking you up, _bro_ ," growled Mike as he pushed Josh, but he fell to his knees. Mike put a sarcastic emphasis on 'bro' and I snorted.

"What?!" Josh's voice was a mixture of shock and fear.

"It's for your own good, you sick fuck," I spit out. "So a.) you don't do anything stupid and b.) I don't kick your sorry ass until the cops show up."

Josh got to his feet and scoffed. "Come on! I didn't do anything –"

"Are you serious, bro?" asked Chris.

I smacked his shoulder and muttered, "Dude, he's not our bro."

"Force of habit," Chris mumbled.

"You're a goddamned murderer is what you are," said Mike as he advanced on Josh.

Josh backed up as Mike stalked toward him. "I didn't do it. Michael, please! Just listen to me, man! I did not hurt Jessica!"

"You know what, br – man?! You need to shut up," Chris warned and I snickered at his near slip-up.

"Chris, hey…" said Josh weakly. "Come on, Cochise, we're partners –"

"Stop! Don't say that," responded Chris.

Josh then looked at me, eyes wide and pleading. "Percy, you know I didn't mean it, right? You know. I'd never hurt April. Sam…Ashley…collateral damage, I was trying to lessen the blow! I pulled my punches!"

"Man, you better shut your fucking mouth," I shot off, a dark edge to my voice so prevalent, even _I_ heard it.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine. Be a dick! It doesn't matter, because I tricked all of you! I scared all of you senseless! And you know what? It was fun."

I was only a bit surprised at the personality change that came so quick. Of course, Josh had been off his meds for a long time, so it wasn't that much of a shock that he was a bit out of whack. I mean, what was I to expect? He certainly wasn't going to be a little ball of sunshine off of his depression and whatever else medication he needed.

I grabbed Josh's shoulders and spun him around, pushing him forward.

We made our way to the shed that Josh 'died' in earlier in silence. The only sound that was heard was the howl of the wind. The icy cold ripped through my button-up and undershirts like thin paper and I was shivering. The shed wouldn't be any warmer, but at least it would provide cover from the wind.

Once we reached the shed, Mike shoved Josh forward once more.

"You only see what you wanna see!" Josh snarled. "You're all blind!"

"Stop talking!" Mike barked. He grabbed the straps of Josh's coveralls and forced him down into the snow.

"You're – Ack!" Josh didn't get to finish as Mike shoved his face into the snow.

"Dude," said Chris, clearly annoyed at Josh's antics.

Josh picked his face up and snorted at us. "It's not my fault you suckers can't take a joke!"

I knelt down and grabbed the back of Josh's hair, lifting his head, then slamming it into the ground. He grunted and his nose began to bleed again. "Oh, I'm sorry, Josh. My hand slipped a bit," I said, a sickly sweet tone lacing my words.

Mike was kneeling down, one foot on the ground, one knee comfortably placed on Josh's spine. One hand was holding Josh's hands down and the other was waving the gun around quite carelessly. It made me edgy.

"I'm sorry, Josh. Did you just feel a little…little bit of pain?"

Josh groaned as Mike shifted his weight, bearing down on Josh like a lion on its prey. "Right now, I am so… _so_ sorry!"

"Stop it!" roared Josh.

"Jesus, dude." Chris commented as I stood up and brushed my jeans off.

"Stop! Michael, I'm sorry, man! I can't tell you how sorry I am that something happened to Jessica but I swear, I swear to you I have no idea what happened to her!"

"Josh, be honest with me. Do you really expect us to trust you for a single goddamned second after all the shit you put us through?" Chris sniped.

Josh was on his knees now, Mike holding him up by the scruff of his collar. I heard a maniacal chuckle come from Josh as his shoulders started shaking as he laughed.

"Can't we all just get along?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes as Mike twisted Josh's shoulder back as he forced him to stand up. "Ow! Damnit!" he yelled.

"We are _not_ dicking around," hissed Mike in Josh's ear. I crossed my arms as I followed them when they began to walk.

My toes were numb and I was seriously hoping we were moving indoors. I just wanted to put this psychotic situation to a close, get back to the Lodge, and curl up with Sam by the fire. In fact, that was all I wanted to do since we'd first got here.

"It's not right…" mumbled Josh as Mike shoved him along, "Nope. This is not how it's supposed to go down!" Josh turned around, glaring at the three of us. "You're just a bunch of bullies! You can't hang out a guy to dry like this, guys, huh? Not like…not like you got the guts to really do anything about it anyways!" he spat, getting right up into my personal space. His rank, hot breath floated across my face and I wrinkled my nose.

I put both my hands on his shoulders and drove him into the cement ground of the shed. He grunted upon the impact of hitting the cold floor. Mike grabbed the ties around his wrists and hauled him to his knees with a sharp jerk.

"You really, really, really, need to shut up, man," said a very exasperated Chris.

"Oh," breathed out Josh. "Oh that's…that's…I mean, I don't even know what you mean because I don't have anything to regret."

"Oh my god…" groaned Chris.

As Mike wrestled Josh off the ground and onto the stool, I stayed back a ways with Chris. "He's gone off his fucking rocker," I muttered.

"No shit. Josh…man, I knew he needed his medication, but this is crazy! How didn't April notice any of…?" Chris trailed off and signaled to Josh having one of his mood swings.

"I don't know, man. He probably knew how to control it, but everyone's got a breaking point. Josh met his. Clearly."

"You got that right."

Chris and I rushed to help as Mike held down Josh, who was taunting us mercilessly. "Okay…tying me up now…okay…" he mumbled as Chris and I undid the bindings on his wrists and started to tie him to the wooden beam.

"Stay still!" barked Mike.

"Right, right, right, right…still. Can't tie 'em up if they just wiggle around!" He began to rock back and forth, his body moving side to side, hands jerking.

"Josh, dude –" sighed Chris.

"Leave me a little wiggle room, huh?" he said. His voice was weird now, deeper and a bit goofy. I felt like I was working with a patient in an insane asylum, which, I suppose was close enough to describing Joshua Washington.

"What does it take to shut you up?!" yelled Mike angrily.

I jerked the bindings together roughly on his wrists and suddenly Josh yelled, "Ow! Not so tight, okay! Not so tight, okay? I can't wiggle around. Plastic ties. That's where it's at. Yeah."

Mike, Chris, and I backed off to survey Josh as he muttered aimlessly to himself. Quite literally, might I add, because he acted like we weren't even standing there, going on to himself about how plastic ties were most effective in…hostage type scenarios?

"What…in God's name…is he talking about?" hissed Mike as he looked between me and Chris.

"This is hard to watch…" said Chris, running a hand through his hair.

"This is why when doctors prescribe medication, you take it," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"He ever say this kind of shit before?" asked Mike.

"No. I've never seen him like this," replied Chris.

"Seconded," I said. "It's like he's a whole 'nother person."

Josh started laughing and we all looked at him. "Hey, Mike. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike," he chanted. "Mike!"

"What?!" exclaimed the aforementioned Mike.

"What happened with Jess, Mike?"

Mike faced Josh and I expected him to go off, but instead, he said, "You know what happened," in the calmest voice I could have ever imagined coming out of Mike's mouth.

"No," said Josh, shaking his head harshly, "No, I don't…I got a problem, Mike. I don't remember killing Jess…"

"Christ," muttered Mike.

"I mean, like, I feel, like…like I would remember killing her, ya know? I remember hitting Sam…ooh, _that_ I remember…"

My fists clenched at that.

"But Jess…I mean, she's so soft…and she's probably got like a really tight bod," said Josh, licking his lips.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" yelled Mike, aiming the gun at Josh's head.

Chris sucked in a breath beside me, holding up a large stick. I locked eyes with Chris and grabbed the stick from his hands, whipping Josh over the side of the head with it.

"OUCH!" he screamed, wriggling around in his stool like a worm. "What the FUCK was that for?!"

"For being a monumental pain in my ass! Now shut your mouth, you waste of oxygen, before I permanently shut it for you!"

"Come on, then Percy, show me what you got! Kick my ass, kill me, do what you want! But you won't!" he said gleefully. Splinters bit into my palms as I tightened my grip on the stick.

"And why won't I?"

"Because April will never, ever forgive you! Nope! Nope, nope, nope! Hurt me, you're screwed! Super, duper screwed!"

"Chill out, Perce, think for a second –" Chris tried to reason.

I threw the stick down and ran both my hands through my hair, turning my back to Josh. I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my head, ignoring the feel of the slivers of cold wood burying into my hands with each fluid motion.

"Oh, you poor little piggies!" cooed Josh tauntingly. "Can't even get their good cop bad cop routine to work. Leave it to the pros, bros!"

Mike looked at me and Chris. "Why don't you two go back to the Lodge and make sure everyone's alright. I'll stay here with this lunatic until morning," he said, jerking his chin at Josh.

"Ooh! Sleepover!" said Josh with mock enthusiasm. "C – Can we order pizza?"

Chris and I stared at Josh for a beat before looking back at Mike. "You sure you're okay?" we asked simultaneously, then snorted at each other.

"They'll want to know everything's fine back there."

"You're right," said Chris and he bent down to pick up the stick that I'd bashed Josh with. "See you in the morning?"

"Yeah," said Mike, his gaze fixed on Josh.

I grasped Mike's shoulder and he looked at me. "Man, I'm sorry about Jessica. At least this bastard's gonna get what he deserves, right?" I offered.

"Yeah," said Mike, smiling, although it was a bit forced. "Thanks, Percy."

"For?"

"Just supporting me, I guess."

I grinned a bit and nodded. "Anytime, Mike."

Chris thumped me on the arm as my hand slid from Mike's shoulder. "Man, let's get moving. The quicker we get back to the Lodge, the better."

"Agreed," I said, and the two of us left the shed to begin our trek back to the Washington Estate.


	16. Chapter Fourteen

**Author's Note** : I'M RUNNING REALLY LATE. *throws chapter at readers* READ AND REVIEW PLEASE, K BYE.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. The rating may be elevated later.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony, they're kinda chilled out. _Kinda_.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

 _Chapter Fourteen_

Chris and I made our way back to the Lodge in relative silence. We were both cold and tired and aching. Thoroughly sick of the shit we'd been put through. The cold bit into the bare skin of my arms. I was actually shivering now; my adrenaline rush had worn off long ago.

We reached the Lodge a few minutes later. Inside, the fire was going and our friends (what was left of them) were all huddled together on the couch. April was sandwiched between Sam and Ashley, who were talking in hushed tones to her. They looked comfortable, with a blanket draped over the three of them.

They all looked up as Chris and I walked in. Ashley ran to Chris and jumped in his arms, who caught her in a hug. April slid off the couch quietly and approached me. I expected a hug, but I got a slap to the face.

It wasn't hard, but her hot palm stung against my cold cheek. I gaped at her. "What was that for?!"

I locked eyes with Sam on the couch, who was snickering at me, trying hard not to laugh aloud. I stuck my tongue out at her and then looked back at April. "Well?!"

"That was for kicking Josh's ass without my permission!"

I was about to shoot off some witty retort about how he deserved it (just kidding, it wouldn't have been witty), when April grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. I rested my arms around my sister, savoring the heat radiating off of her like a furnace. "Oh, so we're hugging now? What's this for?"

"For kicking Josh's ass without my permission," she mumbled against my chest. "Thank you, Percy."

I rolled my eyes and rested my chin in her hair. "Of course. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't?"

"A bad one," she mumbled again.

I managed a half-hearted smile as April pulled away, her gaze going to Sam. She nodded slightly and went to talk to Ashley and Chris, who were heating up by the fire. I noticed Chris's gaze flickering to me every few seconds and I rolled my eyes. Despite the events at hand, my…situation?…with Sam was still apparently the best thing since happy hour.

Sam stood up from the couch and made her way over to me. She slipped her arms around my middle and rested her head on my chest.

"You're freezing," she murmured so quietly that I could barely hear her.

"It's a bit chilly outside," I conceded.

She pulled her head from my chest and met my eyes, a tender smile on her face. "After you heat up, we're going to get you _cleaned_ up and you're going to let me look at that nasty cut of yours."

"Why, Sam!" I gasped mockingly, "That would require me going without a shirt! Scandalous!"

"I think I can handle it," she teased.

"Mhm. You _think_ you can handle all this. We both know you're going to swoon as soon as I start stripping."

Sam slapped my chest lightly. "I said nothing about stripping!"

"It was implied."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was –"

"Oh, shut up," she muttered and her face leaned closer and closer to mine.

We were just about to kiss when a scream pierced the silence, breaking through the crackling of the firewood. Sam's head jerked back and I cursed all my bad luck.

A second later, someone was banging on the front door and screaming, "Let me in! Let me in!" The voice sounded familiar. Like…like an awful voice. Of someone who I couldn't stand…

"Is that –" Ashley began.

"I think it is!" said April.

"It's Em!" realized Sam.

Of course it was!

"Let her in! Quick!" said Chris.

I, being closest to the door, made my way over quickly and unlatched the lock, flinging the door open. Emily fell – literally, _fell_ – into the house and scrambled to her feet quickly, Ashley pulling her up.

"Shut the door! Oh my god, shut the door!" she panted.

I slammed the door shut and flipped the latch upon Emily's request.

Sam and Ashley were helping her up, but Emily was having none of it, flailing like a fish out of water. She was clearly panicked about something. April was standing with Chris, staring wide-eyed at the girl.

Chris touched her shoulder and she jerked at the contact, looking at him with wild eyes. Chris frowned. "Em, are you alright?"

"I didn't think I'd make it –" She breathed.

Ash and Sam escorted Emily back into the living room where the fire was roaring

"With all that screaming, I'd say I'm surprised you _did_ make it," I commented airily.

At once, I was met with five glares, the harshest a tie between Sam and Emily. Emily looked like she was debating stabbing my eyes with a fork and Sam was giving me that disappointed look that my mother often gave me. I wasn't really sure what was worse. Sam looked at Emily, her face morphing from annoyed to concerned, "Are you okay?"

"You look totally wiped," said Ashley, her hand latched on Emily's arm.

"There was something –" Emily tried, but she broke off in a deep breath.

"Where's Matt?" Ashley suddenly noticed and I realized the kind jock was dubiously missing.

"Come sit down, sit down," said Sam. The girls eased Emily onto the couch and covered her with the blanket.

"Something's out there…!" gasped Em.

"Did you guys split up?" asked Ash and I assumed she was talking about Matt. I was concerned for him. He was a nice kid. We weren't close, not to the degree that me, Chris, and Sam were, but I liked the guy. He went out of his way to be polite and anyone that could deal with Emily's 24-7 attitude was to be chalked up a hero in my books. I was worried about him.

"A monster!" Emily bit out as she sat down. "It's a monster…!" Sam sat down beside Em and put her hand on her shoulder while Ashley knelt beside her.

"Em, you're not making sense, tell us what happened," said April gently as she came up to stand beside me.

"The woods…! And…and this g – guy with a flamethrower! And monsters –"

"Wait!" said Chris suddenly. All eyes turned to the blond as the situation unfolded in front of us. "What are you talking about?"

"I said there's something out there –" Emily snapped.

"Like what?" wondered Ashley.

"Ash, relax," said Sam in a chiding tone. "It was Josh, it was all Josh –"

"No, no, no, no, listen to me –" Emily began. I could hear the panic in her voice and I knitted my eyebrows together. Something about this was…off. In the woods? We'd had Josh tied up for the past…well, fifteen minutes or so. So…whatever Em was running from…Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Whatever was chasing Emily _wasn't_ Josh.

"We got him tied up," interrupted Sam, "He can't hurt you."

"Hang on, Sam," I said. She locked eyes with me, a warning in them like, _Say one nasty thing and I swear to god, Percy Anthony, I will not kiss you for a week_. Okay, that's probably not the threat she was trying to convey, but it was probably along those lines. Relatively. (But probably not.) "Let Emily talk. Something's not right here," I finished. Everyone looked surprised that I'd stuck up for Emily, and I was a bit shocked myself.

Emily fixed me with a surprised, but grateful look as she took a deep breath. "It was after me, and it wasn't human –"

"Hold on," Chris interrupted again. "Em, can you tell us exactly what happened?"

I thumped Chris over the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"She's trying to tell us what happened, you idiot! Let the poor girl talk!"

Chris grumbled something about 'traitors' and 'bipolar best friends', but I ignored him and motioned for Emily to continue her story.

"Like Percy said, I'm _trying_ to tell you. We were climbing up to the tower and…and it fell. The whole tower just fell! Right into the mines!"

"What mines?" This time it was April who interjected and I threw my hands up in the air.

"Does no one listen to me?" I wondered aloud.

April shushed me and I sent her a withering glare.

"There are these mine shafts all over, running under everything," said Emily, her voice shaking slightly. "When the tower fell, we ended up down there."

"I don't understand, the tower fell?" asked Ashley, clearly confused.

"How did it fall?" said Sam, a worried gaze etched into her face.

"I – I was walking down there, in the mines, and it was dark, and I found this pile…and…and…there was Beth's head!"

I choked on the air I was breathing. "Huh?!" My voice came out an octave higher than usual.

Chris and April smacked me upside the head. "No interrupting!" they both mocked and I huffed a bit annoyed. If the situation wasn't so dire, I'd have laughed.

"Beth's head," said Emily, a bit more clearly. "I found it."

"Oh my god," breathed Ashley. She was sitting on the couch now, and she pulled her legs up, hugging her knees to her chest.

"What the fuck!" exclaimed Chris.

"Are you serious?!" asked Sam.

April and I were left standing, wide-eyed, jaws unhinged at her words. We'd always known the twins were dead, but now we had _proof_. Emily had found Beth's head.

"Wait," I said suddenly, " _Just_ her head?"

Emily nodded, "I didn't see any other body parts. Just…just the head." She paused. "I think they fell down there," she continued quietly.

"Aw, Jesus Christ…" muttered Chris. His words perfectly voice my thoughts.

Emily hugged herself and looked at us nervously as she kept talking. "But the worst part is, I don't think Hannah died, like from the fall. Not right away."

"What do you mean?" pressed Ashley.

"I don't know," said Emily helplessly, "I feel like she was down there…like, starving to death…for _weeks_ …When we were all up here looking for her…we had no idea!"

"That's…that's…that's fucking horrible," said April after a moment. We all nodded slowly, agreeing with my sister's statement. We chewed on Emily's information.

"Listen." Emily's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "In…In the tower there was a radio and I – I got through to someone, but that was right when the tower collapsed!"

As Emily spoke, footsteps slammed on the carpet and I tensed. Mike appeared a second later, a bit out of breath, looking around. He saw Emily and breathed a sigh of relief. "Em!" He wrapped her in a hug. "You made it!" The ex-couple pulled away.

"Oh my god, Mike –"

"Yeah, barely –" interjected Chris.

Chatter started up instantly and I rubbed my forehead. This was getting out of hand.

"Guys!" I yelled. All eyes landed on me. "What about Matt?"

"We're trying to figure out…" trailed off Ashley.

"There was monster…" left off Chris dumbly.

"She's all messed up," said Mike softly and I rolled my eyes. Now was _not_ the time to be a charming pain in my ass, Munroe! "Emily? Hey, Em, look –"

Before he could get any further there was a swift knock on the back door. The back door on the second floor. Three to be exact. All of our heads snapped to the stairs. We looked at each other for confirmation.

"Woah," muttered Chris.

"Did you guys just –" began April.

"Yeah. Yeah, we did," said Sam, speaking for all of us.

The door rattled a couple more times. By now, all over us were standing, the girls in a small huddle behind Mike, Chris and I. Go figure.

"Who the fuck can that be?" asked Mike, voicing all of our thoughts out loud in a hushed tone.

"Josh?" whispered Ashley.

"Matt?" said Chris.

"Let's find out," I muttered. I looked at Mike and Chris. "You two, with me."

"We got your back," confirmed Chris.

"Wait!" Sam suddenly said. She walked over to the couch and reached under it, pulling out…was that Josh's baseball bat?

I gave her a curious look and raised my eyebrows. She blushed slightly. "I grabbed on the way back upstairs. It could help, ya know?"

"Mike has a gun," I pointed out.

"Oh, don't be difficult!"

I cracked half a smile and took the baseball bat. "Thanks, Sammy. Be back in a jiffy." I sent a wink at her and turned around. The guys flanked my sides as we took the stairs two at a time.

A shadow passed in front of the door as we went towards it and I looked at the guys. They met my eyes uneasily, and understandably so.

Mike held his gun pointed to the door. I readied the bat and stood to the side of the doorway, ready to pop a swing to the intruder's sternum. Chris grasped the handle, looking at us. "Okay, I'm gonna open the door. You guys ready?"

"Uh-huh," we said.

"You guys ready?" Chris asked again.

"You're the only one not ready!" I said, exasperated.

"Just do it already, whoever it is has probably gone by now!" hissed Mike lowly.

"Okay, okay! On three!"

"On three or after three?" I asked.

Mike glared at me and Chris snorted. "On three," he said. "Ready?"

"Jesus, Chris, do it!" groaned Mike.

"Okay! One…two…!" Chris twisted the handle and the door was kicked open. Chris fell back on the ground, groaning. "Shit…shit!"

In the door was an older man dressed for winter…combat? He was in a leather duster and a sweater with black jeans and combat boots. There was some kind of metal canister attached to his back and he was holding something that looked vaguely like a pump action shotgun. Probably because it _was_ a pump action shotgun. His gray hair was long and stringy and he was balding, but a ratty beanie covered half of it. The freakiest thing was his eye, though. A scar ran through it, the iris and pupil a milky white.

"Woah…ah…just you hold on there…Mister…" said Mike, the gun shaking a bit.

I readied the bat. "Not a step closer, Ghostbuster," I warned, because, let's be real, with the thing on his back, he totally looked like a Ghostbuster.

The man looked a bit miffed. He stepped up as Mike said, "Freeze!" and disarmed him easily. "What the…"

He fixed me with a glare. "Swing that bat and it'll be the last thing you ever do, pretty boy."

I lowered the bat with a huff. I wasn't a pretty boy! For the record, I looked like a badass!

"Take it easy, grandpa!" said Mike. Chris scrambled to his feet and the three of us backed up away from the shotgun-wielding senior citizen.

The man kicked the door shut and fixed us with a pitying gaze. "Okay, everybody just calm down."

"I seem to remember being perfectly calm until _someone_ broke into this here lodge…" I muttered and Chris elbowed me so I'd shut up.

The man advanced toward us and Mike, Chris, and I scrambled backwards. "Now move over there. Go on, move! Let me say what I came to say," he spat. He sounded like he'd been smoking for thirty years. Sorry, that was rude. Twenty. Twenty years.

We led the man downstairs and we all gathered by the fire. The girls looked nervous and April edged her way towards Mike almost subconsciously as Sam threaded her fingers through mine. I'd have to have a word with my sister later…

The stranger surveyed us and let out a breath. "I'm here to tell you what you're up against being back on this mountain. You should never have returned." He faced the fire and we eyed his back warily. "I don't know why you did after what happened last year," he commented, dropping a sack. A suspicious sack. Great.

"You mean with Hannah and Beth…?" questioned Sam, frowning a bit. Her grip tightened on my hand slightly.

"Yeah, how could you know about that without being involved –" began Chris.

"Or responsible –" continued Sam.

The stranger faced us suddenly. "You hold onto your horse. I don't take kindly to you kids coming up here to my mountain –"

" _Your_ mountain?" Mike scoffed. "I'm sure the Washington's would be _very_ surprised to hear that…"

"Yeah," I mused, "Considering they did pay for this thing…"

The old man cackled and I was bit freaked out, not gonna lie. "Well this mountain don't belong to me, it's true. But it don't belong to the Washington's. This mountain belongs to the Wendigo."

"Who?" asked Chris.

"What's he talking about?" Sam muttered to me.

"He's off his rocker," I whispered back.

"What the hell's a Wendigo?" Mike asked.

"Now I'm only gonna tell you this once. It doesn't matter to me if you believe it or not. I got reasons I want to…get it off of my chest…"

"See! I told you. He's guilty as shit! Guilty of something!"

"Shh, shut up, Mike!" hissed Sam.

"There…is a curse. That dwells in these mountains. Should any man or woman resort to cannibalism in these woods, the spirit of the Wendigo shall be released."

"Oh, crap," muttered Mike. I looked at him and he shook his head gravely, as if realized something.

"You're going to need to find somewhere safe."

"The basement might be okay," offered Sam.

"Get down there, now. All of you. And wait," instructed the man.

"What? Why? For how long?" asked Sam.

"Until dawn," Emily replied grimly.

"Guys…" said Mike suddenly, "I ran off and left Josh when I heard screaming…"

"Where did you leave him?" asked the stranger.

"In the shed."

"Ah…Your friend will already be dead," said the man grimly and I set my jaw. Josh may have been a dick and crazy and insane and a horrible person and he scared my sister and hit Sam and – what was my point again? Oh, right. Despite all those things, no one deserved to get torn apart my some…some monster. No one.

"He's not," I said sharply. "We were just with him, we've got to get him."

Sam tugged on my sleeve. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "No one deserves to die like this."

"A lot can happen quickly on this mountain," the stranger said grimly.

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p'. "I'm going to get him."

Chris stood up from his spot on the couch. "Me too."

Sam grabbed my chin gently and forced me to look at her, "You can't go out there, Percy. I…you can't."

I took both her hands in mine and squeezed them tightly. "I'll come back." But she didn't look convinced.

Chris met my eyes as he stopped arguing with Ashley. "Ready, man?"

I nodded. "As I'll ever be."

"And I'm comin' with you," said the stranger.

"We don't your help –" Chris defended.

"Going out there, inexperienced, it's suicide."

Chris and I met each other's eyes, sighing in defeat. "Fine," we said in unison.

The stranger nodded. "The rest of you – get down to the basement. Be safe. Don't go outside again until we're back." He eyed Chris and me pityingly. "You two don't seem to understand the magnitude of the situation."

"We're going to get Josh," I said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"No, I'm going to get Josh. You two patsies are going to help me. Do you understand?"

"Uh…yeah, I – I –"

"We got it, Ghostbuster, let's go," I said, saving Chris from an embarrassing moment of stuttering followed by word vomit.

"You boys follow me and do everything I tell you."

We nodded and followed the stranger to the back door. He grabbed his shotgun and hefted it up, looking at Chris. "This is the end you point towards the thing you want to kill," he sniped, shoving it at Chris.

"I know how to use a shotgun, man," said Chris.

"No, you don't," the stranger said and I snorted.

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, I know." The stranger opened the door, when Ashley and Sam appeared.

"Hey…" Ashley said.

Sam and I locked eyes. She sauntered up to me, baseball bat in hand. "Were you really going out unarmed?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

Sam rolled her eyes and her expression softened, holding the bat out. I took it and rested it on the ground. "Be careful out there. Come back safe, for me."

"You think just because you said 'for me', that I'll do it?" I teased. Sam's arms wrapped around my neck and she leaned into my embrace.

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p', and then she kissed me. Each time was better than the next, I swear. The weight of the world seemed to lift off my shoulders and I smiled as Sam jerked back when the stranger cleared his throat.

"We gotta get going, boys." He was clearly uncomfortable. I looked over and Chris was blushing and I knew Ashley kissed him. I wiggled my eyebrows at Chris and he punched me in the arm.

"Let's go, man," he muttered.

We followed the stranger out into the cold and we heard the girls shut the door behind us.

"Well, Ghostbuster, you're the boss here. What do we gotta know?"

"Be careful. Follow my lead. Don't be stupid. Think you jockstraps can handle that?"

Chris and I smirked, grinning at each other.

"Yeah," I finally said as we followed the stranger down the stairs, "Yeah, I think we can do that."


	17. Chapter Fifteen

**Author's Note** : Soooooooo, I...uhhh...I wrote this...finally. In a solid two hour sitting of nonstop typing. You're welcome. I'm sorry this is so late, school's started back up and extracurricular activities, but I'm going to do my best on updates. I also have, like, four other stories to work on with readers who can be very demanding. Like, seriously, Marvel Fandom, chill out. At least my Percy Jackson readers know how to be PATIENT (even though I realize I've made you all wait a really...long...time).

So anyway, here's this chapter, please read and review! And I used a pun I saw on iFunny, so if I stole that from anyone else's story, my apologies. But it was too good to NOT include. So enjoy!

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T for now, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. I'm not going to elevate it, but you all should know what to expect.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony, and they're freaking out with everyone else right about now.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

 _Chapter Fifteen_

It was cold. It was dark. It was windy. Snow flurries pelted us. The weather was basically every condition inconvenient for walking. My side was aching a bit, but it wasn't really a main priority, so I didn't pay much attention to it. It was easy to ignore, for the most part.

"So," began Chris a bit hesitantly, "How many times do I have to shoot it with this shotgun before it's dead?"

"Well, you'd be shooting a long time," the Stranger said cryptically, but his message was clear. A gun wasn't going to kill it.

Chris looked at me in disbelief. I merely shrugged my shoulders. He shook his head. "You mean this thing won't even kill it?"

"No…but it'll slow it down."

The Stranger stayed a few feet ahead of us, and Chris and I let him lead. Even though this guy was a bit whack, he seemed to know what he was doing. And if we had to follow a Ghostbuster to get Josh back…well, I'd do it.

I had been harsh earlier. Sure, he'd deserved it, but I still felt a bit guilty. He was sick, like Sam had said. He was mentally messed up. He needed help, and if we got off this mountain alive, I was going to find him some.

"So, what will kill this…what did you call it again?" I asked.

"Wendigo."

"What kills these Wendigos?"

"They don't like fire –" started the Stranger.

" _I_ don't like fire," interjected Chris.

I nudged him and gave him a look like _shut up._ The Stranger kept talking like Chris hadn't said anything. "They fear it, and it can kill 'em if you have to…See, their skin is like…it's like tough armor, unless you burn it off first."

"That's gross," muttered Chris.

"It can't be worse than watching pig guts fall out of 'Josh'," I reasoned, putting air quotes around _Josh_.

Chris just shook his head. "What are these things like? I mean, are they just crazy unpredictable or can you figure out what they're gonna do?"

I tightened my grip on the baseball bat as the Stranger responded. Maybe it was the wind, but I didn't like the sounds that I was hearing. There was nothing that necessarily stood out to my ears, but my brain was playing me like a fiddle. Even though I was shaking from the cold, my hands were slick with sweat. I'd been scared when we were getting chased by Josh in his 'Psycho' get-up, but I was close to terrified now.

"Well, they adhere to some patterns, like any animal…or human."

"Wh – You mean, like how? Like they've got schedules?"

"Well, they only hunt at night."

I stiffened a bit. "So, like, right now?"

"Exactly like right now."

"Why?" Chris questioned.

"I didn't ask," quipped the Stranger.

The shed was within sight now. The large, dark structure was barely visible in the snowy air. The only thing that assured the shed was there and that we weren't seeing things was the light that was still on from when Mike left his post guarding Josh.

"Any tips? You know, for kicking Wendigo ass?" I found myself asking.

"Like, if we rub garlic all over ourselves, they won't be able to smell us?" piped in Chris.

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head, snorting quietly.

"They'll still smell ya," said the Stranger, not continuing.

"But, anything like that?" pressed Chris.

"They can't see you if you're standing still," he offered. "It's like toads…sight is based on changes of movement in their field of vision."

"So, it's like…T-Rexes?" I asked, scrunching my nose up. "That's…weird."

"Yeah, but it could save your life."

"So, if I don't move, I'm basically invisible?" reasoned Chris.

"Yeah, well…I wouldn't recommend testing that out, unless you have no other choice," warned the Stranger.

We had arrived at the shed and were walking around the back. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had myself braced for the worst, whatever it would be. I had this eerie feeling that we were being watched, which was probably going to turn out to be right. I didn't like where this situation was headed. At all.

Josh wasn't where we left him. The stool was tipped and broken, the lantern was toppled over, and there was a large blood stain where the stool was sitting. Chris and I jogged up to it.

"Shit!" I hissed. "We're too late."

"Oh, no…Dammit, what happened?" said Chris.

I looked at the Stranger. "So, what the hell do we do to find him?"

But he didn't look back at me. He was looking outside, into the snowy outdoors. "Shh! Quiet!" he snapped. "We gotta go. Right now."

"What about Josh?" wondered Chris. "He's still out there."

"Yeah," I conceded. "We have to find him before he gets torn apart!"

The Stranger laughed, but it wasn't good-natured. The laugh was dry and tasteless, sucked of all humor. "Ha! First, the Wendigo, he'll render you immobile." With each word, he got closer to me and Chris until he was right in our space, his hot breath drifting across our faces. It reeked of onions. Not a fan. "And then he strips the skin off your entire body, piece by piece." And then he backed up, watching out again. "And then he keeps you alive and aware and feasts on your organs, one piece at a time."

Chris and I looked at each other. We seemed to have a silent conversation.

 _What do we do?_ asked Chris.

 _What_ can _we do?_ I replied, shrugging slightly, a pained expression on my face. I didn't want to leave Josh out there alone, but what could we do for him? Honestly, I had a _baseball bat_ for fuck's sake.

Chris sighed. "So, the Lodge, then," he said.

"Let's go now," agreed the Stranger. We started moving. "It might still be here!"

The Stranger jogged out ahead of us and Chris and I stayed back a bit, weapons ready. What a baseball bat was going to do, I wasn't sure. Maybe Wendigos were affected by blunt force trauma. For my sake, I was hoping so. And even if they were, I hadn't played baseball since fifth grade. I wasn't a good batter then, and there was no reason I would be now. All in all, we were in a really sticky situation.

Then shit hit the fan.

"Wait!" the Stranger hissed suddenly. "Don't…move…"

Chris and I froze.

"Be very quiet…"

The Stranger started moving slowly forward after a couple seconds, cautious as ever. Then, "RUN! GO! NOW! NOW!"

The three of us broke off into a dead sprint.

We were cut off by _something_ breaking out of the woods, straight into our path. It was vaguely humanlike, with arms and legs and milky white skin. It's being was shaped like a person, but it crawled on all fours. It was completely hairless and naked, like a giant person…but it was so grotesque, that you'd never see it and think _human._

It's pale skin was pulled so tightly over its bones that you could see them individually. I could have counted it's ribs in its midsection if it wasn't so fast.

The Stranger didn't hesitate to fire his weapon…with literal _fire._ It never really occurred to me that his Ghostbuster backpack was a flamethrower canister. Fire and melted snow replaced the spot where the monster had been standing.

Chris and I stumbled back a couple feet. "Holy shit, what the fuck?!" yelled Chris.

"Back! BACK!" barked the Stranger.

"Yeah, back, we get it!" I yelled, yanking Chris back by his sleeve as he shouted, "God DAMN!"

"We're right out in the open," said the Stranger, flamethrower ready, eyes (eye?) scanning the woods warily. The baseball bat was gripped so tightly in my hands that the cold metal burned my skin. My knuckles felt strained.

"We gotta get outta here!" warned the Stranger. Unfortunately, he didn't get much more out. Or any at all, for that matter.

The Wendigo appeared out of the woods like a blur, flashing in front of the Stranger, then disappearing again.

"Where'd it go –" I started to say, but my voice broke off when I saw what had happened. Claws. The fucking things had razor sharp claws. The Stranger's throat was slit cleanly open, blood gushing out of his neck like a fountain. His body sunk to the ground, propped up on his knees and flamethrower canister. Then his head _fell off._

The Wendigo's claws were capable of sheer decapitation.

"Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!" yelled Chris.

"Fuck…" I muttered.

Both of us stood still, shocked and stock still. I shook my head and grabbed Chris's sleeve, forcing him to look at me. I looked him dead in the eyes and said one word. "Run."

Before we could go, the Wendigo appeared in a bush and lunged at us. Time seemed to go in slow motion. I readied my ball bat, but before I could swing, a shot echoed from Chris's gun. The buckshot slammed into the creature, sending it careening back, and the two of us took off sprinting.

We could hear it coming behind us. The noises it made weren't human at all. It was a screech, like we'd heard in the woods before.

My legs pumped faster than I could have thought possible. Icy oxygen filled my lungs as I sucked in deep breaths in and out. It was kind of a shock at first, so much cold air filling my chest at once, but I got over it really quickly. Adrenaline filtered through my veins giving me the energy of an ADHD kid on a sugar rush. I was right behind Chris as we ran, following up our tail, ready to get swingy if need be.

"Don't turn around!" I ordered as Chris turned back to make sure I was following. "I'll be alright, just keep moving!"

Chris didn't question me. He turned back forward and executed into a somersault below a fallen tree, picking himself up and sprinting through the wooden gate.

I did the same thing he did, rolling under the branch, but I stopped and turned around before I reached the gate. The Wendigo appeared a moment later, ugly as ever. It hopped atop the fallen tree and lunged at me.

Once more, my life seemed to flash before my eyes. The creature got closer and closer, until it was so close, I could make out its face. It's mouth was wide open, revealing sharp, yellow teeth that were in need of a brushing. It's razor blade claws were elongated in my direction. The worst part was its eyes, for sure. They were the same milky white as it's skin. There wasn't a single vein to be found, or pupil, or iris. Completely _white_.

Clutching the bat and setting my jaw, I swung the bat as hard as I could. "Just Wendi-Go away!" I grunted. I felt it connect to the beast with a solid hit, sending it flying into the fallen tree. The thing was so underfed, (which in this case was a _very_ good thing) that it flew through the air like a regular old baseball.

I landed with a grunt as I jumped down the little cliff. Chris was only a few steps ahead of me, turned around, shotgun aimed in my direction.

"Percy! Look out!"

A second later when I'd rolled over, I felt the Wendigo before I saw it. Its claws dug into my lower right thigh muscle, just above my knee, and I yelled out a string of expletives. The Wendigo screamed it's awful screech right back at me. Had its mouth always been ringed with blood? I gulped.

Luckily, the pressure was gone a moment later with a well-aimed shotgun blast to the beast. I struggled to my feet, my right leg collapsing under my weight. Chris grabbed my arm and tossed it around his shoulder as we limped to the door.

Chris banged on the door. "Ash! ASH!"

I had an extremely sinking feeling a moment later and narrowed my eyes. Without looking, I tore the shotgun from Chris's hands and spun around, firing blindly. The Wendigo flew backwards and I thanked my guardian angel for instincts. If not for my gut, Chris and I would have been pork chops.

The door opened a moment later, and Chris and I stumbled in.

"Oh, thank god!" exclaimed Chris. "Let us in, please!"

Ashley was staring at us with wide eyes as Chris slammed the door shut. I leaned heavily on the wall. I felt hot blood dripping down my leg.

"Oh my god, guys what happened?! Percy, your leg –"

"Doesn't matter," I gasped. "Right behind us – Ash, we gotta get to the basement."

Just as I finished, the Wendigo appeared, lunging at the glass window door. Ashley screamed. Chris grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. "Go! Go, go, go, go, go!"

"Oh, god!" whimpered Ashley and I hobbled off behind them as fast as I could. I took a moment to praise my adrenaline because if it weren't for that, I'd be a heap on the ground, struggling with my leg. Behind me, I heard the creature slam into the door, and thankfully, no shattering followed.

I was going through the motions now, my brain on autopilot. I followed Chris and Ash like a dog, down flights of stairs, rounding corners, not saying a word or making a sound. Ashley was freaking out as we went and Chris was trying (and failing) to console her. My jaw was ticking angrily and my adrenaline high slowly began to wear off.

By the time we reached the old hotel part of Josh's basement, the rush was gone. My leg was screaming in protest each time I applied weight to it. I was sucking in breaths through my teeth quickly and shallowly, fighting through the excruciating pain. I'd had cuts and gashes before. This…this one was deep.

I used the baseball bat as a crutch as I limped through the decrepit corridors of the old hotel. Mike had joined us at some point, I wasn't really sure when. I was too focused on not collapsing to the ground and giving up right then and there. But I had my sister to look out for. I had April to keep safe, and I had Sam, too. If either one of them heard me say that aloud, I'd get ripped a new one, but honestly, they were the only two keeping me going.

Before I realized what was going on, Mike had slipped my arm over his shoulders and was helping me hobble into the small area where everyone was clustered. Chris held open the metal-link door and ushered us in, shutting it securely behind us.

"Oh my god!" I heard Emily say as Mike lowered me to lean onto a table, leaving a careful hand on my shoulder. "Guys! Thank god!"

"What took you so long –" began Sam, cutting off when she locked eyes with me.

"Percy!" April pushed through the little group. She wrapped her arms around me tightly and I hugged her back, grinding my teeth together.

"Hey, April…yeah, I love you, too…but, ah, could you ease up a bit?" I winced as I shifted my leg slightly.

She jumped back. "Percy, what happened?!"

"The Wendigo," I ground out. "It's real."

A low murmur swept through the group, eyes glued to me and the wound in my leg.

"It's not so good up there right now," said Chris.

Sam and I locked eyes for a brief second and I nodded slightly, letting her know I was okay. She seemed to relax slightly, but not too much.

Mike leaned on the wall. "Understatement of the night," he growled.

"Uh, guys?" said Sam suddenly, frowning. "Where's the flamethrower guy?"

"Uh, yeah…he…uh…" Chris struggled to find the right words.

"He didn't make it…?" gasped Ashley.

"Oh, no…" groaned Emily.

"What happened?!" demanded Sam. But the question wasn't directed at Chris. Her glare was laced with worry, but it was a glare, nonetheless, pointed straight at me.

I swallowed roughly, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened only moments ago. It seemed so surreal, but my leg was gushing blood, and legs just don't spontaneously gush blood. Words were all jumbled up in my head and I was clasping my jaw so tightly from the pain, I thought my teeth would break.

"The Wendigo…it, uh…it cut his throat but…it's claw…cut his head clean off…" I managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"Right in front of us," confirmed Chris.

Everyone seemed to look down at once, their eyes avoiding Chris and I's.

"Oh god. I'll…let me try and find a first aid kit," said Sam. She disappeared behind a wall and I shifted slightly, groaning a bit.

"Quit moving!" hissed April.

"Not helping!" I shot back.

"Alright," said Mike suddenly. "These all the doors?"

"Yeah," said April.

"You sure?" He was moving about frantically now, eyes scanning every surface.

"What are you looking for?" asked April.

"Another way out," he said, leaning down to examine the security cameras.

Sam appeared a moment later beside me. She looked at me while April argued with Mike about leaving or staying put. "Do you trust me?" she whispered softly.

"You know I do," I responded evenly.

She smiled faintly and brandished a pair of scissors in front of my face. I knitted my eyebrows together skeptically. "You didn't ask if I trusted you with scissors."

"Oh, shut up and stay still," she ordered.

Sam began cutting away some of the fabric of my jeans so she could get a good look at the gash. She exhaled, making a hesitant face.

"Well, it's long, but it's not too deep…"

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Do you want me to lie?"

"No."

"Yes."

I grimaced. "How bad is it?"

"You're going to need stitches. A lot of stitches. But the best I can do is a lot of gauze and some disinfectant. So this is going to burn."

Sam unscrewed the cap to the peroxide and slipped her fingers into mine. "Try not to break my fingers, okay?" There was a small grin in her voice.

"Yeah," I agreed.

When she poured the liquid into the gash, I'm pretty sure she was just setting my leg on fire. It burned extensively and I was clutching Sam's hand tightly, but I was trying to refrain a bit as well. It wasn't exactly working.

A few seconds later, the pain dulled to a steady throb. Sam started to wrap the gash as I tuned into April and Mike's conversation the best I could.

"We'll be fine! Right, Em? You called them?" April had her arms crossed and was looking at Emily expectantly. Mike was looking at her, too, and Emily looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I mean…right?"

"Well, you can wait," Mike said, turning around. "I'm leaving."

"Mike, there's no key for the cable car –" began Emily.

Mike turned around and raised a finger, pointing at Emily. "Josh. He's gotta have it."

"Josh?" April's voice was strong and unwavering and I was proud of my little sister when she said that psycho's name.

"One of his dirty little tricks," said Mike.

"Great," said April. She threw her hands up in the air. "Fucking fantastic!"

"If that fucking thing got a hold of Josh…" said Mike. "Then we're shit outta luck."

Emily shrugged a bit, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it before. "I don't know, Mike…it's possible…"

"What's possible?" asked April, her voice sharp.

"It may have taken him down to the mine…"

"What?" Mike was frowning, a bit confused.

Emily took a deep breath and turned around, not facing anyone. "I saw some horrible stuff down there…I think that's where that thing lives…and…huh…" Emily trailed off, picking up something from the table before her.

"Em?" asked April. "What?"

"Fuck it," muttered Mike. "I'm gonna get that key. Right from that thing's goddamned bedroom, and then I'm gonna get us all the hell outta here."

But neither April, nor Emily, were paying attention. They were digging around in some sack. Sam was over there with them now, looking with them. Instead of throbbing, my leg was numb now. I don't know what Sam had lathered the bandages in, but thank god she did, because I was walking with only slight difficulty now.

"Em…what is that all?" asked Sam.

"It's that old guy's bag," she replied, picking up a book.

I hobbled over to them, using the baseball bat as support, Mike and the rest of that gang right behind me.

"Is that a map?" wondered Mike.

"The guy was prepared for anything," muttered Sam.

"And rightfully so," I piped in. "Of course I don't think he was ready for…you know." I dragged my finger across my throat with a grim look.

"What is this place?" said Emily suddenly as we all examined the map.

"Oh my god," whispered Mike.

"Wait, wait, wait. What is that?" asked Sam.

"I was down there," admitted Mike. "It was horrible."

"You were?" said Sam, a bit of surprised lacing her voice.

"Some of them survived, but, like…fifteen of 'em didn't make it. I found these plans – they knew the mine was a death trap, but they let the miners keep working anyway."

"Michael, I'd like to maybe focus on how we're getting the fuck out of here please?"

"I have to agree with Emily," I muttered lowly. "We're all running on fumes with…with everything that's happened. Jessica…the Stranger…hell, Matt's still gone, and with that…that _thing_ out there, I'm gonna say he's gone, too. We have to get off this mountain."

I looked at Emily, whose eyes had dropped to the floor. I put my free hand on her shoulder, squeezing it for comfort, and she let me. She wasn't a sobbing mess, but I could tell she wasn't taking the news well in her own little way.

"I'm just saying," began Mike softly, "it's weird how much crazy shit's gone on up here…"

"What's weird is that there's a tunnel leading from the Washington Lodge to the sanatorium," shot April, tracing her finger across the map.

"That's how I got back here," said Mike.

"I saw this when I was down there," said Emily. Her voice was a bit weaker, but she stepped forward. I let my hand slide off her shoulder. "That's where it lives."

"Shit!" cursed Mike suddenly. "Fuck, fuck…" He paused and looked at the rest of us. "You guys know what to do."

"Yeah," said Ashley. She had been quiet, but she looked determined now.

"No one leave. Okay? It's not safe out there." He started to back up. "I'll be back soon."

"Should I…?" I started to ask before he was completely gone. He was already around the corner, but Mike popped his head back around and shook his head adamantly.

"You're hurt, and it's bad. I saw that thing gushing blood. You need to rest up, let the blood clot. Keep everyone here, you know, safe. You and Chris. Got it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

Mike grinned a bit wistfully at me. "I'll see you soon, Percy."

"See you soon, Mike."

Then he disappeared.


	18. Chapter Sixteen

**Author's Note** : Call me butter, I'm on a roll. Please excuse me as I continue onto Chapter Seventeen, because I'm having a fit of inspiration at - *peers at clock* - almost 11PM. Solid. READ AND REVIEW, K THX BAI.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. I'm not going to elevate it, because you all should know what to expect.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony, and they're...well, I don't even know what's going on at this point. Does anyone even read these one liners?

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

 _Chapter Sixteen_

After Mike disappeared, it was quiet for a moment. I propped myself onto one of the tables beside Chris, April on my other side. Sam and Emily were leaning on the same table on the other side of April, and Ashley was on her feet, just wandering around. No one spoke.

If anyone wanted to say anything, I wasn't sure what would be said. We were all in a bad situation. A _really_ bad situation. Jessica and Matt were dead. The Stranger was dead. Mike had just gone off on his own to who-knows-where, and it was questionable whether he was going to return. The park rangers wouldn't be here until dawn.

We undeniably and considerably screwed. I was drained, and I was sure everyone else was, too. I was known for being sarcastic in tough situations. But this…this surpassed a 'tough situation'. We were royally fucked.

"I thought that…that he was going to help us."

It took me a moment to register that someone had spoke and I lifted my head. All eyes were directed at Emily. She wouldn't meet our eyes.

"Who, the flamethrower dude?" asked Sam.

Emily merely nodded as Ashley picked up a leather bound book that I recognized as the Stranger's. I was going to ask about it, but Emily responded, and I wasn't willing to interrupt. "Now, we don't stand a chance."

"No, guys, it just means we've got to be tough. We gotta do this on our own."

"I don't know if I can," admitted Emily softly.

"But I know you can, Em," I found myself saying. All eyes fell on me. They all looked surprised, except Emily who was smiling faintly. "You know, we've had our fair share of arguments. You have your moments, but so do I. Who doesn't? I'm sorry for being an ass to you, Em. To all of you." I laughed humorlessly. "This is one shitty situation we're in. But it's taught me one thing. It's taught me that you're all the strongest people I'll probably ever meet. If anyone can kill these sons of bitches, it's us. And if anyone has the strength to kick ass, it's you, Em. We're gonna get out of this. All of us. Alive."

Emily smiled at me. "Thanks, Percy. That might be one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me. I think."

I laughed and April nodded at my side. "Percy's right. We can do this."

"Damn straight," said Chris with a half grin.

Sam didn't say anything, but she gave me a huge smile, which, of course, made my stomach do flip-flops. I was pretty sure she'd always do that to me.

"This guy's a little OCD." That was Ashley. The sound of her voice directed all of our attention to where she was sitting, across the room from us, flipping through the Stranger's diary. Journal. Whatever.

"This says that because the Wendigos are mutated from humans, when they hunt us, they know how to perfectly mimic their prey," she said, looking at us over her shoulder before returning to the book. All of us exchanged looks. That didn't sound promising.

"Oh…Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Ashley was shaking her head.

"What is it? What does it say?" Sam slipped off her position on the table and walked over to Ash, looking over her shoulder. She snatched the book up. "Let me see that…"

"What is it?" asked April, sitting up.

"Shit," was Sam's only reply. "Shit, shit, shit. We've gotta get to Mike, like now!"

Sam quickly took off around the corner where Mike had gone.

Emily started to follow when my sister yelled, "Wait!" and hopped off the table, grabbing Em's hand. Sam came back around as April pulled down Emily's coat collar a bit. "What's that…?"

"What?" Emily waved a hand. "Oh, nothing, it just bit me."

I nearly choked on my saliva. "It _bit_ you?!"

"Are you okay?" asked Sam.

"You didn't want to tell any of us this little detail?" exploded April.

"I didn't think it was a big deal—"

"A big deal?!"

"—It doesn't hurt anymore, really, I—"

"What if…what if Wendigos work like…like vampires or something?" demanded April.

"I'm fine!" insisted Emily.

"Em, at least let us check it out," said Sam, moving towards her.

I caught her arm. "Careful, Sam," I warned.

"What happened to you sticking up for me a moment ago?" spat Emily.

"That was before I knew you might turn into one of those things!" I retorted back.

"Percy! Calm down, let's not be irrational about this—"

"Irrational? Sam, she was bit by one of those monsters, and that puts everyone here at risk."

"Guys—" Ashley tried to interject, but no one listened.

"Sam, I know you want to be the good guy here, but that can't always happen. If she turns into one of them, she's going to turn on us, and I'd rather not turn into a hamburger for our dear friend over there!" said April.

"Excuse you! Quote-on-quote dear friend over here isn't deaf!" snapped Emily.

"We aren't thinking this through!" argued Sam.

"We gotta put her down," said April simply.

"Woah, there, cowgirl," I said.

"Put her down?!" Sam was livid. "No one is going to put anyone down! Percy just got through saying that we're going to get through this together, and that's not going to change! If Em says she's fine, she's fine!"

"That's what she wants you to think, Sam! Think about it!"

"No, I'm not going to think about it, that's ridiculous!"

As my sister and April went at it, I met Chris's eyes. He shrugged silently and I shrugged back, not really sure what to do.

Yes, Emily was bit by one of those monsters, meaning she could be a danger to the entire group. But also, on the other hand, I don't think putting her down was the answer. I was letting April off on a freebie for not being exactly, ah, mentally sound right now, but still, this was crazy, even for her.

I looked at Ashley past Chris. She seemed to be trying to find a good time to interject. Unfortunately, April and Sam kept going at each other's throats and there wasn't exactly a good time.

"You're insane, April!"

"And you're a coward, Sam!"

"GUYS!" I yelled. All heads snapped to me. "While I'd love for you two lovely ladies to continue bickering over Emily's fate, whilst she stands _right here_ , might I add, I believe Ashley has something to say."

Ashley looked at me, exhaling loudly. "Thanks, Percy!" She glared at both Sam and April, who seemed a bit embarrassed. "As I was trying to say, Emily isn't going to turn. Not unless she resorts to…ya know…cannibalism."

Everyone was quiet. Not a sound was made.

"So," I said after a beat, "Emily's clear?"

"Emily's clear," confirmed Ashley.

My eyes flickered between Ash and Emily. "You get that from the diary?" I asked.

Ash nodded in confirmation.

"I still want an eye on her," piped up April, clearly not satisfied with the end result of the argument.

"Listen here, you little—"

My hand shot out and grasped Emily's shoulder before she could say anything else. "Think carefully about what you're going to say next," I warned.

"She was suggesting to kill me a moment ago!"

"I know what she said, alright! Everyone's high strung right now, and I don't think keeping an eye on you is a bad decision. It's just a precaution, okay, Em?"

Emily glared at me, but nodded reluctantly.

"Okay," I said glancing around. "Now. We find Mike, yeah?"

Sam nodded and was around the corner in a second flat. The rest of us rushed after her, me limping behind. "For…whatever reason," I mumbled to myself as I hobbled along.

* * *

We were…somewhere in the basement. That was about as much as I knew. Sam was leading us with her weird, headlamp thing, and for some reason, she seemed to know exactly where she was going. April was hugging her arms close to her chest, staying close to Ashley, and Ashley close to Chris. I brought up the caboose, walking with Emily.

When we'd all decided to get moving, I volunteered to keep an eye on her and she didn't seem to mind. I kept the flashlight pointed ahead as I limped along, still opting to bring the baseball bat with me for support. And defense.

"Here, let me," said Emily, taking the flashlight from me. I shot her a grateful half-grin and we continued to follow the group. Sam was practically sprinting ahead of everyone else. I still hadn't the slightest idea what was going on.

We took a right around the next corner and Sam was turned around, waving us on. "Come on guys! Hurry up! We gotta find Mike! Come on!"

"You mind telling us why?" I called up ahead.

"No time!" was Sam's short response.

"Of course there isn't," I muttered. Emily snorted.

Ahead of Emily and me, Chris, Ash, and April had come to a stop.

Chris was leaning against the wall, waving his flashlight ahead. "I'm kinda gimping out here, guys…"

I met Emily's eyes and she nodded once, continuing along to get Sam. I wasn't sure how she knew what I wanted her to do, or when Emily and I had come to some sort of understanding, but it was nice to have dissolved the tension between us.

"I think maybe you should go on without me."

Ahead, Emily and Sam came into sight, watching the interaction.

"No, Chris, we're not leaving you," said Ashley. Her tone left no room for argument. "We're sticking together. Mike will just have to wait."

"Wait for what?" I asked yet again, and I was yet again ignored as our little expedition crew continued forward.

Emily was up with Sam now and I was left alone to my thoughts.

We certainly weren't in the basement anymore. I figured we were…somewhere by now. Pipes snaked along the interior of the corridors we were in, water dripping from some. Puddles formed on the cement floor. A bit of fog had even gathered in the tunnels. The odor was probably the worst part, all musty and you could just smell the rancid water and decay.

April fell into step beside me and didn't say anything for a second, so I did.

"That was a junky thing to do, back in the safe room."

"I know. I just…I didn't know _what_ to do! I panicked, Percy, and now none of them are going to look at me the same way!"

"April, look around you. You think any of us are going to look at each other the same after this nightmare we're being put through. No. You were out of line back there, yeah, but who cares? We've all been out of line at some point or other during this experience. But you know what? We're all going to come out of this stronger and closer than before. And we're going to be alive."

"How can you be so optimistic?"

I laughed without humor. "Because if I'm not, then I'll fall into a trap of self-deprecation and none of us can afford that right now. We gotta keep moving."

I heard April's intake of breath, but whatever she was going to say was cut off by a rattling of doors ahead of us. We approached the rest of the group as Sam tried to open to double doors in our way.

Sam let go. "Oh, shit! Mike must have locked them behind him. Crap! There's got to be another way in!"

I pushed my way through and I rested a hand on Sam's shoulder, who locked eyes with me reluctantly. "Are you going to tell me why finding Mike is so damn important yet? You do have two cripples in the gang," I said.

She cracked a smile and whatever she was going to say was cut off by Ashley. Seriously, I just wanted to know what was going on!

"Wait. Hey! What about this?" Ashley directed her flashlight at the sewer grate. Maybe it wasn't a sewer grate. It was a type of grate.

Sam and I jogged over. Well, Sam jogged over and I kind of limp-jog-hobbled over. We came to a stop in front of it. "Huh…" muttered Sam.

"I feel like that's not your best plan," said April nervously, looking at Ashley.

Ashley shrugged. "Do we have another plan? I mean, should…should we try it?"

"Well, it's not like we got a whole lot of choices here," said Sam grimly.

Ashley reached down and grabbed a piece of a pipe resting on the grate and used it to wrench the grate open. As Sam and Ashley moved it aside, air wafted up from the hole, and it smelled about a hundred times mustier. I really wasn't a fan.

"Okay, this…" Ashley started, "This may be the last place I'd wanna be right now."

We all exchanged looks after we look our turns looking down into the pit. "So who's going first?" asked Sam.

"Ha," snorted Ashley.

There were no volunteers.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Looks like I'm going first." She began to lower herself down, grasping the handles that made a makeshift ladder down the side. "No so bad. You think this is the tunnel to the sanatorium?"

"Of course it is, where else would it go?" asked Ashley.

Sam dropped to the bottom, Emily following closely in tow, April right behind them. Ashley met my eyes and nodded me ahead. Right. Couple's time. And I was intruding. Whoops.

I lowered myself carefully down the ladder, dropping to the ground with a grunt. A flare of pain shot up my leg when I landed, and I stumbled to the side a bit, leaning against the wall. I knew Chris and Ash were having a moment, but was it too much to ask for them to throw my baseball bat down?

I shut my eyes for a second, trying to fight off the blackness that was tinting the edges of my vision. Whether it was from pain, exhaustion, or sheer mental deterioration, I didn't have time for it.

Fingers laced through mine and I opened my eyes to see Sam. She didn't say anything, just squeezed my hand and handed me the baseball back with her free one. I nodded slightly, but she didn't seem quite convinced that I was alright. She had one eyebrow raised as if to say, _Really? Yeah, no, you're hurt, quit acting macho._

I bent down and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. I don't know why, but that seemed to reassure her and she squeezed my hand one last time before letting go as Chris dropped down into the tunnel right next to us.

"Hey, um, we should close this right?"

We all looked up. Ashley was looking down at us for confirmation.

"Huh?" asked Sam.

"I mean, what if something's following us?"

"Yes, fine, close it, but we gotta keep moving. Can you just catch up? Please?"

The rest of us continued down the tunnel, leaving Ashley behind. I limp-jog-hobbled my way up to Sam at the front of the line of us, heaving a bit. Not only was I tired and in pain, but I was in no way in shape for this. Nope, nope, nope.

"Don't you think that was a bit rude, Sam?"

"We have to keep moving, Percy. We have to get to Mike."

"Should I be jealous?"

Sam sighed, sounding a bit annoyed. "This is not the time to play the role of the overprotective boyfriend, Percy!"

That shut me up for two reasons. A.) Sam had done a complete one-eighty from the concerned girlfriend that I'd given a forehead kiss to seconds prior. And B.) Since when were we using the boyfriend/girlfriend tags?!

I pushed those thoughts aside and we kept moving forward in silence. I was kind of thankful for the quiet because it gave all of us a moment to rest and not have to be running for our lives. Sure, it was a little _too_ quiet for comfort, but at least we weren't hearing the screeching of Wendigos.

I'd been checking over my shoulder for Ashley every now and then, and so had Chris. I was worried about the redhead, and so was my best friend. We had entered the mines by then, and somehow, Ashley appeared in front of us. How she got in front of us, I'll never be sure. But she seemed freaked when she saw us.

Ash grabbed Sam's hands, blowing out a sigh of relief. "Oh my god, I am so glad to see you."

"Glad you're safe," said Sam shortly before we continued on. Ashley didn't tell us why she was so freaked out when she saw us, and I never found out. On one hand, it could have just been the creepy-ass tunnels she was traveling through alone. On the other, I was pretty sure creepy-ass tunnels didn't panic someone as much as they did Ashley. I didn't push her on the subject, though.

After a few moments, we exited the mine tunnel. The cart rails ended and we stepped out into a large cavern. Ahead of us was a wall of rocks with a wooden walkway above. The ladder was shot, and there was no way the entirety of us could get up there.

"Look! Look there!" said Ashley.

Sam was grinning. "Wow. Great."

"The ladder's toast, we're never gonna make it up there!"

"No, no, no. I think I can do it…it's like a rock wall. I'm gonna keep going. You should head back to the Lodge. I've gotta get Mike."

"I'm coming with you," I said. And I said that at the same time as April. The two of us locked eyes.

"No." Of course, that was in sync, too.

"Percy, you're hurt, go back with the others—"

"April, if you think I'm leaving you or Sam alone for one second—"

"I have to side with April on this one Percy, I don't think you should come along," said Sam.

I looked at both girls and shook my head, hefting the baseball bat up and handing it to Chris. "I'll be fine. Either I come with you guys, or no one goes."

"Who put you in charge, Percy?" demanded Sam, and I'm pretty sure I detected a bit of hostility in her voice.

"No one! But I'm going to take charge because someone has to do it, okay? I'm not leaving you guys alone!"

"Maybe you should just let them go, Percy," suggested Chris behind me.

I shot Chris a bit of a pleading look and he instantly shut up.

"You're not coming, Percy. You need to rest your leg," insisted Sam.

"You don't get to decide that, Sam. I'm coming."

"I'm just trying to get you to see what's best for you—"

"No, Sam, I know what's best for me. Not you. And I'm going to be fine. I'm not letting you and my sister leave with those freaky-ass Wendigos everywhere."

Sam glared at me and threw her hands up. "Fine. You're insufferable, you know that?"

"So I've been told," I shot back in return. I looked at the others as Sam and April began up the wall. "Be careful, guys, okay?"

Ashley nodded. "Good luck." They all began back the way we'd come.

I turned and looked at Sam and April before starting up the impromptu rock wall.

It wasn't a real argument, not by any means. But it was the first time Sam and I hadn't been on the same side in some type of matter for a long while. It kind of stung in all honesty, but I figured that was how it was going to be if we pursued a relationship, which was kind of weird to consider. I thought about what she'd said, though. Who _had_ put me in charge?

Somewhere along the journey, I decided I had to be the hero. I'm not sure why, it wasn't my place at all. But I sure as hell wasn't letting the two people I loved most in the world get chewed on by some malnourished monsters, that was certain. In return of their safety, it was definitely worth the argument. But was it worth the pain in my leg as I scaled the rock wall?

…

Yeah. It probably was.


	19. Chapter Seventeen

**Author's Note** : Hey hey hey. I finished this fanfic. I'm not gonna upload it all at once because I want some APPRECIATION FOR STAYING UP ALL NIGHT AND WORKING ALL DAY TO COMPLETE THIS (with a minor break for my theater arts project). And by appreciation I mean REVIEWS. I dun care who you are, just freaking review. Pretty please?

Anyway, so I got it done! Yeah. The last couple chapters are a bit short, but here's this! Little trouble in paradise...or as close as paradise as Percy and Sam can get. Ish. :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. I'm not going to elevate it, because you all should know what to expect.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony. I still don't know what's going on right now.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

 _Chapter Seventeen_

After a lot of jumping, grunting, fiery pain, and manual labor, I finally made it to the ledge of the outcrop of rocks. I grabbed April's hand at the top and she helped haul me over. I lay on the ground for a moment, panting, trying to catch my breath. Whatever kinda of numbing agent that had been holding back the torrent of pain shooting through my leg was wearing off, and fast. I needed alcohol.

Shaking my head, I hoisted myself to my feet and brushed off my pants. April was looking at me with a concerned expression and Sam was just glaring at me. I had a feeling she wasn't exactly thrilled with my attitude towards her moments ago, but I was equally not as thrilled with her.

Leave it to us to make April play peacemaker.

At the top of the ledge, there was a lot of wreckage, rock and wooden alike. Ahead of us was a small drop that seemed to lead to another tunnel. To our right was a tunnel with an old, wooden door at the end. Sam looked at April and I. "C'mon. This way…I hope."

I figured that was the best we'd get, so I followed Sam along, April hot at my heels. Sam stopped at the door. "Dammit," she cursed.

"What?" I asked.

She glared at me, and I raised my hands in surrender. Geez, she really wasn't enjoying me being there. It kind of hurt, truthfully.

"The door is locked – some sort of chain around it."

"So we go down then?" asked April.

I wisely decided to keep my trap shut. Even though April and Sam had been arguing about whether to kill or spare Emily just a bit before, they seemed to be perfectly okay. Girls. I'd never understand.

"Looks like it," confirmed Sam. "I'll go down first, then you April. We can help your brother with the macho superiority complex down afterwards – unless he thinks he's too good for our help. He's _clearly_ the only reason we're going to make it out of this alive."

I raised my eyebrows as we walked back to the drop. "Wow," I muttered after Sam dropped down. "So that's how it's gonna be?"

"Give her time," April whispered in my ear before sitting and sliding off the ledge, landing smoothly next to Sam.

I dangled myself off the edge after them and both girls supported me as I lowered myself down. Even with the minimal force that hit my leg as I hit the ground, it still wasn't pleasant. I was starting to think Sam was right and that I should have went back to the Lodge. I'd never admit it, though.

We headed through the tunnel, which wasn't really a tunnel at all. It lead into a cave-like setting, with stalagmites and stalactites. Water dripped from the ceiling and fog covered the ground. It was eerie and I didn't like it one bit. Of course, this entire freaking trip had been eerie, so it was nothing new.

I didn't voice my concerns, though, figuring I'd just get ridiculed by Sam. It wasn't worth her irritation or my frustration. We needed to work together. I decided I'd better apologize – just not now. Maybe when we found Mike, considering April seemed pretty hell-bent on finding him herself. Note to self: talk to April about her obvious attraction to Mike. Had it always been there? Probably not, but she was a train wreck after Josh. I had to stop giving her freebies…

We were moving pretty well through the caverns. We weren't slow about it, either, and it was kind of starting wear me down, especially in my condition, but I wasn't about to let either of the girls know. I felt better knowing how they were. I felt better knowing that if anyone was going to die out here, it was going to be me, because I'd put myself on the line before either of them. Even if Sam was giving me the silent treatment as she talked quietly to April up ahead.

Suddenly, though, we came to a stop.

"Wait." Sam held up her hand. "Do you guys hear that?"

Once again, I let April respond. "Hear what?" she asked.

"Exactly," breathed Sam as we started moving again. "It's too quiet. I don't like it."

We kept following along the trail that was conveniently laid out for us. It seemed to lead us right back to the heart of the mines. After inching through a particularly tight little corridor, we came upon a chain-link gate. Sam pulled at it, but it didn't budge. I had to hold my tongue to keep from suggesting me to try it because A.) I was crippled, and B.) Sam would probably rip out my vocal cords if I said a single word.

"Try the shovel," suggested April.

Next to the door, Sam grabbed the shovel like my sister had said and shoved it through the crack in the door. After a bit of a struggle, she pushed the shovel enough that it acted as a crowbar and the door swung open, Sam stumbling forward a bit after it. I held it open as April went through, smiling a bit at me and I followed them. It swung shut after me. By now, April was already back up front with Sam, not bothering to check on me. Typical.

Sam kept the shovel as we explored the little room we were in. Wooden planks stood up against the wall, and old, rusted machinery was scattered all over. There was a metal door embedded into the wall further back.

"Looks like old mining equipment," mumbled April.

"You think the…you know…infected miners used all this stuff?" asked Sam, gesturing around.

Aprils shrugged in response. "Probably."

Suddenly, the door started to open. Sam readied her shovel, prepared to strike, but Mike came barreling through the door, sawed off shotgun in hand, trying to shut it behind him. "Goddamnit! Stay out there!"

As he tried to open the door, a Wendigo squeezed through the crack, pushing it open, sending Mike crashing to the ground. The thing was screeching and on fire, it's milky white skin burning to a charred color. It screeched once again, and sprung off its perch at Mike, landing on him.

"Mike!" yelled Sam. "Holy shit!"

I locked eyes with April, who nodded, and both of us began rummaging in the old miners' equipment for something, anything to fight the beast. I was preferably hoping to find a long, metal pipe. Yeah, that'd be ideal.

Before April and I got the chance at the monster, though, we heard Sam yell, "Hey! Fatty! Over here!" She charged towards Mike and the Wendigo, who was just barely holding the creature away from him as Sam whacked the beast in its ugly head.

The Wendigo went reeling for a moment before recovering and reading itself to strike at Sam. Before it could, though, Sam hit it again, just as hard as the first time. Its flaming head flew off and the creature crumpled to the ground in a fiery heap of charred flesh and bone. It was disgusting and relieving all at once. It _was_ possible to kill them.

Mike scrambled to his feet and shot forward, closing the door and jamming it with his shotgun. Out of the corpse of the Wendigo, a fiery spirit flew out, screaming as it hit the wooden rafters, then dissipating completely.

"Woah," muttered Mike as he caught his breath, then finally looking at the rest of us. "You guys alright?"

"Uhh," said Sam, pushing a strand of hair out of her face and breathing a bit heavily, too. "Define 'alright'?"

Mike waved his hand. "Alive, for a start."

"Yeah. Yeah, alive is good," Sam replied.

"The hell are you all doing here anyway?" Mike asked and then looked at me. "And I told you to rest that leg, not bring the girls on a damn rescue mission for me!"

"I wasn't able to convince him not to come," said Sam before I could get a word out. "He's not slowing us down though, so might as well not complain."

Mike's eyes narrowed and flickered between the two of us. I could tell he knew something was up between us, but he thankfully didn't decide to comment on it. "Oh-kay. So, right. Why are you all out here again?"

"We had to warn you about the Wendigos," said April, seeming to finally overcome what the four of us had just witnessed.

Mike snorted, a bit of a smirk gracing his features. "I think I got it."

"Yeah…" trailed off April.

Mike gestured forward. "Let's find a way down to where this fucker lives."

The three of us nodded, agreeing, and we turned around, following Sam.

We found ourselves in the tunnels again, following a different path. I hobbled behind the rest of the group, as per usual, letting them all talk. I was perfectly content with just listening in to their little chat. Besides, I didn't have the distraction of needing to reply, so I could keep a look out behind us.

"You're sure this is the right way?" asked Mike.

"Nope," said Sam, popping the 'p'. "But I have a gut feeling, so that's close enough right?"

"Not exactly," muttered Mike, and Sam and April chuckled.

"You really think we're going to find Josh?" asked April quietly and I refrained from hugging my sister. I knew it was hard to talk about him, but I figured the gesture wouldn't be appreciated any longer. Not since I had a 'superiority complex'. Hmph.

"Yeah. Yeah, April, I think we are. And you can have the first word, okay?" said Mike.

I could hear the smile in April's voice when she responded seconds later. "Thanks, Mike."

After a few moments of silence, I heard Sam speak again. "Hard to believe that…that thing used to be a person."

"Yeah," said Mike. "Maybe a miner."

"Maybe someone who worked in the sanatorium?" suggested April.

"There was so much weird shit happening up there, that wouldn't even begin to surprise me," said Mike bitterly.

Sam stopped moving and Mike and April slowed to a halt to turn and face her. I bumped into her a bit, but she didn't turn to glare at me. In fact, she didn't even look at me. I wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or good.

"What kind of weird shit?"

I could see Mike weighing his response before responding. "Someone was…capturing the Wendigos. Had 'em all tied up in these restraints. And…I saw some weird, fucked up shit."

"Wow…" muttered Sam.

Mike looked at the ground. "I must have just let them all out when I blew the place up…"

Sam snorted. "Smooth move."

"Wait, wait," I said, speaking for the first time in a while. Sam looked at me this time, but her face was impassive. I couldn't get a read on her and I decided it was progress. "You blew it up and let out a shit ton of Wendigos?"

"That's what I said," confirmed Mike as we moved along.

"Oh, okay. Great. I just wanted to make sure I heard you right. I'm sure there will be absolutely no consequences for letting out an entire horde of flesh-eating monsters that are practically invincible unless we light them on fire."

Mike snorted ahead of me as we moved along the newest cavern we'd entered. We came to a little indent in the path and Sam slowed to a stop. "Guys…guys, is that what I think it is?"

"Shit," breathed Mike.

"Shit's an understatement," responded April.

"Looks like a grave," said Mike.

Sam crept forward carefully and bent down, picking up a piece of leather amongst the bones. She flipped it over in her hand, examining it before climbing out of the little pit. When she got out, she leaned heavily on my shoulder and I steadied her. She still wouldn't look at me – her eyes were glued to the object she'd picked up.

"Oh, god…guys…this is Beth's! This is her watch!"

"What? Let me see," Mike said. He held it gingerly as Sam gave it to him and April leaned into Mike to get a better look. Sam let me wrap a tentative arm around her shoulders. She was stiff, yes, but progress.

Sam turned both of us, forcing me to face the grave. "Look. There was a cross here."

"So this is where she was buried," mumbled Mike. I looked back. He had an arm wrapped around my sister, and for once, it didn't exactly bother me. I was glad we all had anchors right now – we sure as hell needed them.

One question, though, one question kept nagging in the back of my mind. If someone had gone through all the trouble of burying her…

"Who dug her up?" asked Sam, voicing my concerns.

We all looked at each other grimly, and suddenly Mike swung his flashlight around, into the distance. "Let's keep moving. Can't let the bastards catch us."

We all agreed and kept going, untangling from each other. The three of them – April, Mike, and Sam – fell back into a line, and I brought up the back. It was kind of offensive.

We went back to the middle of the cavern where an expanse of water stretched out in front of us. Mike gestured ahead. "Ladies first."

April stuck her tongue out at him as Sam rolled her eyes. "I think I'd rather not."

"Come on, guys!" Mike hopped in, arms rigid above the waterline. I hopped in right after him, mimicking his position. Water leaked into my bandages, burning and freezing the gash in my leg all at once. I was thankful as my entire lower half went numb from the cold and I couldn't feel my leg anymore.

"Are you guys sure it's okay?" asked Sam. She sounded a bit worried.

"C'mon, Goldilocks!" I said, against my best interest, "The water's fine!"

"We aren't dead yet!" Mike agreed.

"Famous last words," I heard Sam mutter, and April cracked up. Finally, there were two more splashes and I knew the girls had joined us. And then, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, it's so freaking cold!" That was April.

"It's freezing!" Sam agreed. "I can't feel my fingers."

We waded through the water a bit, teeth chattering, freezing our asses off, until we hopped out onto a ledge. I let my feet dangle over the edge, leaving one foot in to try and keep my bum leg numb.

"Oh, shit," I heard Mike behind me. "This looks like Hannah's writing."

"What?!" I asked, spinning myself around to face the other three. I was lucky my leg was still numb because I felt a dull throb of pain shoot up my knee. It was rather unpleasant.

"'I'm sorry, Beth,'" I heard Sam read after a period of silence. "'I have no choice. It's the only way I can survive anymore. If somebody finds this, I'm sorry. I had to. I had no choice.'"

"What does it mean…Jesus…" breathed Mike.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no," said April. "Don't you guys get it?!"

"Get what?" asked Mike, a bit miffed, but I saw realization – of whatever they were realizing – begin to dawn on Sam to.

"Oh god…it makes sense!"

April nodded enthusiastically at that.

"Hannah! Hannah dug up Beth!" gasped Sam.

"What?" asked Mike.

And then it hit me like a semi-truck. "Oh, hell…" I breathed.

"What?! What?! Would somebody please tell me what the fuck you're all discovering?!"

"Mike, Hannah dug up Beth!" repeated April.

Mike shook his head. "No way, I don't think—"

"Michael. Michael, think about it," urged April. "It makes sense! Beth died in the fall—"

"So Hannah buried her!" finished Sam. April grinned at Sam. "And then—"

"Hannah was down for days, alive! She was starving!"

Mike was looking between the two girls, shaking his head vehemently. "I don't believe it! Not a word of it!"

"She would have been desperate," I muttered. I locked eyes with Sam for the first time since the rock wall argument and we both swallowed roughly, looking away.

"We have to find Josh," said April. "Right now."


	20. Chapter Eighteen

**Author's Note** : And Eighteen is up. As I've said, reviews are appreciated, prompts are accepted (for stories, one-shots, or whatever), and the gout. SO YEAH.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. I'm not going to elevate it, because you all should know what to expect.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony. Shit's goin' down.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

 _Chapter Eighteen_

After a bit of looking around and making sure we'd found everything, Sam gave Mike Hannah's journal and we started back the way we came. We immersed ourselves in the icy water once more, wading through. I could hear the girls' teeth chattering and I was shaking myself.

We walked passed a big, rotting water wheel, through the middle of the pool of water. It was getting noticeably deeper. It was to mine and Mike's upper midsection and Sam and April's chest. I was used to the cold, but my entire lower half was completely numb. It was appreciated, to a degree.

"Hey! It's sloping up again! We're gonna make it," said Mike.

"Oh, god, don't jinx it!" grunted Sam, holding her arms high above her head in a feeble attempt to keep her upper half dry.

The water began to get shallow as we approached our destination. We launched ourselves up onto the ledge, crawling out of the freezing water. I squeezed the water out of my shirts and carefully pulled them back down over my bandages over my side, which were now soaking wet.

"Everyone good?" asked Mike.

Our murmurs of affirmation were quiet and Mike nodded as we continued along. Sam led the way again. We passed through a cement archway that brought us to a metal door. Sam jerked the handle up and the door exploded open, water pouring out, along with a janky smell. It smelled like…rotting, and death, and…decay.

The water hit all of us with a torrent of force. The girls screamed and Mike and I let out surprised yells.

"Woah!"

"Shit!"

I took a deep breath, the smell hitting my nose like a wrecking ball. I coughed a bit. "What the hell is that smell?!"

"Why don't you ask him…them?" April said, her voice quivering, pointing to something that had come out of the door with the water.

I looked where she was pointing and gulped. There was a decaying head, separate from its body, sitting in a puddle of water. Its eyes were sunken, skin stretched and graying over its bone. Soaking, black chunks of hair still clung to its skull. I had to swallow back the bile that was rising in my throat. It was the Stranger.

And then I saw the other ones. Matt and Jess. Barely recognizable, but it was them. It was them for sure.

"Jesus…she…Jee…" was all Mike managed to get out.

We all struggled to our feet, even wetter than before. Our breaths came out heavy and ragged. I really, _really_ didn't want to go in the room. But what choice did we have?

We entered the room cautiously, flashlights swinging around. And what we saw was…horrible. Chains were slung across the wooden rafters. From the chains, bodies hung down ominously. To our right, boards lined up in a makeshift wall, separating us from whatever was on the other side.

"Do you see that?" Sam asked.

"Yeah…" swallowed Mike.

"Bodies."

"Yeah…yeah, a lot of 'em," Mike said. He continued on, flashlight lighting up each and every decaying corpse that swung from the ceiling. April clutched the back of his jacket, pressing herself close to him.

Sam stopped a few feet in, hugging herself as Mike's flashlight lit up the newest body.

"Oh my god," said Mike. His voice was breathy and really freaked out.

"Oh, no…" Sam was close to hyperventilating. "Nooooo!"

"I'm gonna be sick," Mike said. His voice was choked up, and I was pretty sure he was actually going to be sick. April had her face buried in his coat, her shoulders racking with sobs.

I chanced a look up. I recognized all three bodies. The Stranger. Matt's hung lopsided, his letterman's jacket covered in blood. Jess's was bare except jeans and a white undershirt. Our friends, dead, dangling from the ceiling. Their heads rolling in puddles of water.

"Just…quit fucking looking," I managed to choke out, nausea plaguing my stomach. Mike groaned, leaning against the wall, then his head snapped up.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. I think I saw something."

Sam, April, and I pressed ourselves up against the wooden panels and peered through the cracks. "Son of a bitch…" I breathed.

Dressed in his psycho attire, minus the mask, Josh Washington stood, facing us. He was talking to himself and I was barely able to make out what he was saying.

"No…no, no…no, no, no! I don't…I don't take orders from you!"

"Josh!" April yelled.

She scrambled of the wall and pushed through the wooden door to our left. If Josh heard my sister's call, he didn't act like it.

"I don't take orders from you, you can't tell me what to do!" he whimpered. Josh sounded like he was close to a breakdown. He didn't sound dangerous anymore, or psychotic. He sounded _broken_.

"Josh?" April's voice was tentative. "Sweetheart?" She looked at the rest of us and we all nodded to her in reassurance. Sure, April had flipped out on Josh earlier, and understandably so. But the two had been together a long time. There was no denying that my sister loved him.

"You can't tell me what to do!" He was covering his face, crying. I could tell that broke April. And then he did a drastic one-eighty, and I was wary all over again. "Okay," Josh said to…whoever. "Okay. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you." Then he started freaking out, yelling and groaning.

"What's happening to him, Mike?" yelled Sam.

Mike pushed the flashlight at me and I took it as he approached Josh, grabbing both his shoulders. April was covering her mouth, staring at her ex-boyfriend with eyes filled with tears. Mike slapped Josh once across the face. "I dunno, he's tripping out! Josh!"

That seemed to break Josh's hallucination. Josh dropped his arms, staring at Mike with wide eyes. "M-Mike? Mike?"

"Josh!" yelled Mike. "Hey, man!"

Josh cowered a bit at the sudden increase in volume. His eyes darted around to Sam, April, then finally me. "Sam…? April…? P-Percy?" His voice was shaking and so was his body. It hit me then. He was scared. Josh was scared of Mike and I.

"D-Don't h-hit me, p-please…"

Mike released Josh. "You were deep in it, man. Full mental jacket." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"We didn't think we'd get you back…" Sam left off, looking at my sister.

April seemed to get the message. "Josh, sweetheart. Hannah…Hannah was down here. For a long time…she dug Beth up—"

"April…" Mike warned.

"He has a right to know, Michael," said April lowly.

"And I agree, but can we try and get the fuck out of here first?" asked Mike.

I swung the flashlight around a bit nervously, grinding my teeth. "I know I'm not the most popular guy right now, but I gotta agree with Mike, here. We gotta go before those…those things catch up to us."

Sam nodded. "Percy's right." She looked at Josh. "Josh, do you have the key to the cable car?"

"Uh, um, y-yeah, here." He produced the key out of one of his pockets and handed it to Sam.

"Good." She looked around for a moment, before pointing upwards at a beam of light from the cavern ceiling. "See that over there? That means there's a direct way out. C'mon."

I limped my way to Sam and stood behind her as we looked up into the snowy blizzard above. I was well aware of Mike leading Josh along with a hand on his shoulder, and April following closely behind. The other three looked up with us.

"There's no way Josh is gonna make it up there," Mike said.

"Okay." Sam looked at Mike. "If you can help me up, I can go back and tell the others we're okay."

"Yeah," Mike agreed. "Yeah, good."

I bit my tongue, not really sure what to do in this situation. Neither choice – Sam or April – was really ideal right about now.

"April, are you going to come with?" asked Sam.

April shook her head. "I'm staying with Josh."

Sam seemed to understand and she locked eyes with me. She seemed to be internally debating what to do before she finally said something. "Come with me?"

I was surprised, especially considering the treatment I'd been getting, but I nodded a bit. "Of course."

Sam seemed to relax at the fact that I'd agreed to come. She looked back at Mike. "You bring Josh back the way we came and we'll all meet at the Lodge."

"Be careful," Mike said, cupping his hands.

"You too," said Sam, and she stepped into his hands and put her hands on his shoulders, letting Mike launch her upwards.

I looked at Mike. "Keep her safe, okay? Promise me."

"April's in good hands, Perce. She'll be fine."

"Thanks, Mike."

"No problem, man." I stepped into Mike's grasp and he pushed me up. I grabbed the nearest ledge and used my momentum to follow the climbing path that Sam was laying out for me.

I was holding Mike on his word. His word to keep my sister safe. Once we all got back to the Lodge, I wasn't sure what we'd do. Hole up and wait for sunrise, probably. I was worried, of course, but I trusted Mike. Right now, though, I needed to focus on getting back to the Lodge.

Sam and I scaled the wall, and once again, it hurt like a bitch. It felt like my muscles were on fire every time I took a step upward and like my bones were turning to jelly. I could tell the gash in my leg wasn't doing so well either because each time I put pressure on it, it sent a flare of white hot pain up my entire side.

Finally, we reached the top of the second impromptu rock wall that I'd climbed that day. I didn't even like rock walls in the first place. Sam grabbed my hand and helped haul me to the flat, snowy ground. We both stood up, brushing ourselves off, and then we looked at each other.

"You okay?" asked Sam quietly.

I nodded, wincing a bit as I shifted my weight. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sam rolled her eyes. "No you aren't. What did I say about acting macho?"

"Right. My bad. My leg is killing me, but there's nothing we can do about it so let's not address it. We need to focus on getting back to the Lodge," I said flatly.

Sam raised an eyebrow in response. "Whatever you say, I guess." She turned to leave and I cursed my attitude. My hand shot out and curled around her arm.

"Wait."

She turned back around and looked at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry, Sam," I said, exhaling, and beginning my speech in rapid fire. "I know you and April can take of yourselves. I just…I worry, okay? With all the shit that's been going down, I've been nothing _but_ worry about you two. I see Mike and Em's situation right now…Jess and Matt, gone, just like that. I see that Josh has gone off the deep end. It makes me scared, because I wonder if that would happen to me if anything happens to either of you two. So…" I took another breath, trying to catch it. "I'm sorry if I had a superiority complex. I'm sorry for trying to be macho and play the hero. I'm sorry."

A small smile crept up on Sam's face and she came closer to me, rising up on her tiptoes to give me a slow kiss. Our moment was interrupted, though, when seconds later, a Wendigo screech was heard echoing through the forest.

Sam jerked her head back, staring at me with wide eyes. "Lodge. Now."

I nodded eagerly. "Right."

We began speed-walking through the forest, our feet leaving imprints in the snow before being quickly swept up in the wind. My clothes were starting to stiffen up from the moisture in the fibers freezing. A Wendigo screeched again, somewhere, and our pace increased.

Of course, the trail we were on led us to a lake, which we'd have to go through.

Sam looked at me. "Shall we?"

I rolled my eyes and sat down, sliding myself in, and backed up to the edge. "Here. Get on my back."

"Are you sure your leg can handle the extra weight?" She sounded worried.

"Just do it before I change my mind. Besides, my leg's already numb."

I felt Sam's arm wrap around my neck and I gripped her thighs as she settled onto my back. "Let's go," I grunted as I started to move along.

"It's fucking freezing," I heard Sam grumble.

"Who's the one completely submerged right now?"

"Right. Sorry."

I rolled my eyes, and mid-eye roll, the Wendigo screeched again. This time it sounded close. Too close for comfort.

"Shit," I growled and increased my pace through the icy depths. We reached the other side and I set Sam on the ledge before climbing out myself. I didn't bother to squeeze out my shirt. I looked at Sam. "We need to get to moving."

"Yeah. Now."

The screeches became regular, and by that point, we were jogging. I felt my blood racing through my veins, and the pain in my leg became nothing more than a dull throb. It certainly wasn't my greatest concern right then.

I dropped down a ledge, or tried to. Sam and I both ended up sliding down and landing on our faces in the snow. We landed in front of what I recognized as the shed. The cold was a shock, but we managed to overcome it quite quickly when there was another screech. Directly behind us.

We pushed to our feet and broke into a dead sprint. Tree branches ripped at our arms and clothes, and the icy wind was making my eyes water, but we didn't slow. We ducked under a fallen tree and I was hit with recognition. We were close to the Lodge.

I put on a burst of speed, Sam hot at my heels. We jumped down the other ledge that I'd fallen down and been assaulted by the Wendigo earlier and leapt over a tank of…was that propane gas?

It didn't matter. The Lodge was straight ahead of us.

We hit the door, and, of course, it was locked. Sam rattled the doorknob, yelling. "Hey! HEY! Come on, open up! Guys, come on, are you in there?!" She banged relentlessly on the windows.

"Sam! Percy!"

We turned around in a whirl. Behind us were Mike and Josh.

Mike and Josh.

Mike _and_ Josh.

Where the fuck was my sister?


	21. Chapter Nineteen

**Author's Note** : Short one, folks. As a side note, go read my newest Until Dawn fic if you'd enjoyed this one so far! It's entitled _The Heart of a Stranger_ and I promise it's gonna be a wild ride with a whole lot more of my own original writing in it. I'm not sure how the update schedule will be, but meh. So check that one out? Please?

Anyway, one more after this folks, until we get into the After part of Until Dawn. I'll take suggestions for the After part, because I'm not really sure what's gonna come up next, so keep me posted on what you wanna see! Thanks for sticking with me through this journey, and remember, it's not over yet! So read, review, follow, favorite, all that stuff! :D

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. I'm not going to elevate it, because you all should know what to expect.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony. Shit's goin' down.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Nineteen – Meanwhile, in the mines…_

After pushing Sam up, Mike turned around, his eyes flickering between April and Josh. He didn't trust Josh as far as he could throw him, but he did trust April. On the other hand, he wasn't really sure if he trusted them together.

Mike exhaled. "Alright, let's go, you fucked up son of a bitch." He paused. "And you, April."

April smiled a bit at Mike.

The group started their way back the way they came. Mike led and April walked beside Josh, keeping one hand on his back and murmuring encouraging words to keep him going.

"You didn't…you didn't have to hit me so much, man," mumbled Josh. It was quiet, but Mike heard.

"Ah, yeah…I'm sorry about that before, man. I thought you killed Jess. I was wrong."

"Where…where is Jess?" asked Josh.

Mike ground his teeth together as he pushed through the wooden door he, Sam, Percy, and April had just went through moments ago. "The, uh…the Wendigo…it got her."

"Fuck, man…" breathed Josh. "I don't know what to—"

"You don't have to say anything, man. It's not on you," said Mike, cutting Josh off effectively. He was happy that Josh got the memo to be quiet, for at least a few seconds. What Josh had done…the 'prank', he called it…it was still raw in Mike's mind. It wasn't a fucking prank.

They went through the area where the bodies of their friends hung up on chains. Mike heard Josh's broken voice a moment later. "No…no!"

He heard April trying to console Josh and clenched his jaw. He wasn't a fan of April snuggling up to Josh like she was, especially not after what he pulled. He had a distinct feeling Percy wouldn't be either, and Mike had promised he'd keep April safe. He wasn't sure if her close proximity to Josh could quite be categorized as 'safe'.

"I know," murmured Josh, "I know, I know, I know…okay…"

Mike shook his head, hoping sincerely that Josh was talking to April and not some more figments of his imagination. Josh needed back on his medication, and fast, there was no denying that.

"April, can you hold the flashlight?" asked Mike.

They had reached the lake of water, and Mike held the heavy duty light to April to hold as he lowered himself down into the icy water once again. "Why couldn't this be a fucking hot tub?" Mike ground out as he took the flashlight back from April.

He heard April snort as she lowered down into the water. "Because that would be too easy, Michael."

"You're not wrong," he muttered in response.

Mike illuminated the ledge as April helped Josh down. Once he hit the water, his teeth started chattering. "It's…it's cold, man," Josh whimpered.

"I know, baby," soothed April. "Take my hand, come on. Little farther."

It was by no means a little farther – they still had to cross the entire thing, but Mike knew April was trying her damndest to keep Josh sane. Or about as sane as he was going to get in his current situation. So they all kept wading through the underground lake, until they hit the middle.

That's when everything went to shit.

Mike was leading and he yelped up ahead. "Oh, fu—" was all Michael Munroe was able to get out before he was yanked underneath into the icy depths. He thrashed around in the depths, until whatever had him let go.

Up above the surface, Josh was yelling at the Wendigo, while April stood off to the side, paralyzed with fear.

"You're NOT REAL!"

The Wendigo screeched in Josh's face and Josh gasped as he saw the faded butterfly tattoo inked into the milky white skin. "Hannah!"

"Hey, ugly!" Something hit the beast in the side of the head.

April had been shaken out of her paralysis and had thrown her shoe at the Wendigo's head. She was armed with her second shoe, a look of defiance, but also fear mixed in. "Let him go, you bitch!"

The Wendigo threw Josh aside into the water and lunged at April, claws out. It didn't hurt her, though. No, it did much worse. It lifted her by her shirt and screeched at her once before plunging her underwater and dragging her through the icy depths off towards wherever the sick, twisted thing resided.

April kicked and screamed and thrashed about, but the Wendigo didn't let go. Josh had hit his head on a rock upon being thrown by the Wendigo and was out cold, his head just barely floating above water.

And Mike cowered behind a large boulder, letting the Wendigo carry off his friend's sister, the sister he'd vowed to protect. He gulped as he watched the Wendigo make its way off with April. She was persistent for sure, screaming until her lungs gave out, but Mike knew it was no use. He could only hope that the Wendigo would be merciful for once in its life and spare April a quick death.

Mike ran over to the place where Josh was knocked out and slapped him a few times.

Josh spluttered to consciousness, looking around and spitting out water. "What? Who? Mike? Where the fuck is April?"

"We don't have time, man. Josh, we gotta go," Mike said, avoiding Josh's question. He grabbed Josh's arm, pulling him along, or trying to.

"Michael, where's April?"

Mike let go of Josh and ran his hands uselessly through his hair and then bit his fist. He felt hot tears pooling behind his eyelids as he squeezed his eyes shut. He kept biting down, aware of the sharp pain that he was causing to himself, but Mike didn't care.

He fucked up. April was _gone_. She was gone. As good as dead. And it was Mike's fault because he didn't step up. But was it really his fault? He didn't want to die. He was practically defenseless. All he had was his heavy duty flashlight. The Wendigo would have ripped him to shreds if he'd try to stop it.

But now it didn't matter. Mike didn't step up to the plate when it had counted, and he knew that. And now he was going to have to face Percy. Percy Anthony, who had just lost his twin sister. Mike knew Percy would be a wreck. He'd be livid. He'd be thoroughly broken.

But now there was nothing he could do about it. The Wendigo was long gone. April was probably already decapitated, just like Matt and Jess and the Stranger. _And it was all his fault_.

"Michael! MICHAEL!"

Mike finally opened his eyes when Josh's hands gripped his shoulders. Josh's eyes were red, his wet hair was matted to his bloody forehead where it had cracked against the rock, and his voice was ragged. "Michael, where's April?"

"It got her, man," whimpered Mike. "It fucking took her."

Josh looked like his world was going to implode, which of course, to him, it was probably going to. He had lost his sisters up on this mountain a year ago. And now his girlfriend of a couple years was gone, too. Taken by Hannah, taken by the spirit of the Wendigo that haunted Blackwood Mountain.

Josh's hands linked behind his head and he took two steps back from Mike. "No….no, no, no, no, no! Michael! Where is she? Where did it take her? ANSWER ME, MICHAEL!"

Mike's arms flung in the air, his voice matching Josh's in volume. "IF I KNEW, DON'T YOU THINK WE'D BE GOING AFTER HER RIGHT NOW?" He cursed lowly and lowered his voice. "If I thought there was a chance we could rescue her, we'd be fighting that son of a bitch that used to be Hannah right fucking now! But I don't, okay? I don't think there's a chance! I've seen what those things can do, first hand! Hell, the one I saw ripped Jess's jaw off of her fucking face!

"Those monsters? They only need mere seconds to kill you, and that thing has had minutes now. April's gone, and it's my fault, okay? Yeah—" Mike's voice choked up and he swallowed back a sob. "She's gone, and it's all my fucking fault, but we need to get out of here before that thing comes back for us. Okay? Josh? Josh, are you listening to me?"

Josh's eyes were glazed over as he murmured 'no' over and over again under his breath.

Mike felt like shit. One hundred percent shit, but he knew they didn't have time for this. They could mourn and break it to Percy back at the Lodge, but that was provided they even made it back to the Lodge. He grabbed Josh's arm and started hauling him along. Josh was compliant even though he was broken, and Mike was thankful that it wasn't too hard to pull him.

So they went like that the rest of the way out of the mines and back to the Lodge. And the entire way, Mike readied himself to face not only the Wendigos, but the wrath of Percy Anthony himself.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I REGRET NOTHING! ...okay, maybe I do a lil' bit, but it was the plan from the beginning.


	22. Chapter Twenty

**Author's Note** : And here it is. The last chapter. God, I'm so proud of myself! And you guys for following along with me. But mostly myself.

I'd like to take this time to thank everyone for keeping up with this story from the beginning, and those who joined as it was in progress. You guys inspired me to keep going with it and I can't BELIEVE we hit over one hundred follows. That made me so excited, you guys have no idea. I want to offer a special thanks to Catsrawesome and DatGuy355 for our little chats, because they were two of my biggest supporters on this project. I'd also like to extend my personal thanks to jediman3477 for his extensive reviews, which gave me such an insight into your thoughts as readers. But don't think the rest of the reviews weren't awesome too! ANYONE who took the time to let me know personally how I was doing with this story is completely amazing! I still can't believe it's over.

So, I've been thinking about a sequel to this as well. Do you guys want to see after effects? Or do you want me to leave it you guys' imagination? I want...what do I want...hmm. If I get...let's say...ten votes for a sequel, I'll start one before I go to sleep tonight. So, LET'S SEE REVIEWS OR PMs OR WHATEVER.

I realized like half way through this that I never gave you guys faceclaim, which I'm going to start doing on my Author's Notes at the beginning of stories. They're on my profile, but I realized people don't always take the time to check that out. So, for Percy, I used Matthew Daddario with blue eyes. For April, I used Dianna Agron, like, in the beginning of her Glee career. Yeah!

I'd also like to invite folks to check out my other fanfics if you feel so inclined or if you like my writing style or whatever. I have a Percy Jackson fic up entitled _Thanks, Dad (For Marrying Sally Jackson)_. It's an OC insert and has NOTHING to do with Chaos, because that's so overdone, I want to throw my laptop out a window every time I see that plotline. I have up an Avengers fic entitled _The Ghost_. It's an OC/Natasha Romanoff story that's under scrutinizing rewrite. There's my Agents of SHIELD fic called _The Scars of the Past._ It's OC/Skye and people have been begging me to update. Hmph. AND FINALLY. I IMPLORE YOU. If you liked this version of Until Dawn, because I love writing the characters so much, I'm writing a second Until Dawn fic called _The Heart of a_ _Stranger,_ which MoonWolfAtlantis prompted me to write. It's not going to be the same journey by far, so you don't have to worry about it being a repeat. It will have background, but that's just my amazing freewriting, so PLEASE check it out!

I offer you all my thanks one last time for coming with me on this incredible journey. So, without further ado, here's chapter twenty.

Stay classy, my friends.

 **Rating** : This is going to be rated T, but the language is going to be very explicit because some of the dialogue comes right from the script. I'm not going to elevate it, because you all should know what to expect.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own the characters of Until Dawn or the game or story. All rights go to Supermassive Games. I own Percy and April Anthony. Shit's goin' down.

 **Editing** : All editing is done by me, all mistake _s_ are mine.

* * *

 _Chapter Twenty – Back to Percy_

Mike and Josh looked like shit. Mike's face was bruised and bloodied and his jacket sleeve was partially torn. Josh had a large cut stretching the expanse of his forehead that was bleeding quite extensively. Both of their eyes were red and they looked utterly defeated.

I didn't really care about their condition, though. Not really. I didn't feel much other than a minor concern for their well being that was barely even there. Instead, I felt a twisting in my gut that was absolutely dreadful.

Where was my sister?

"Shit, Mike! Josh…guys, what happened? You look terrible!" said Sam.

"Where's my sister?" I found myself asking. I didn't really hear my voice, though. I sort of did. It was spacey and reverberated through my head like it wasn't actually me speaking. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, except the pain in my leg and the twisting in my gut were all too real for that.

"Gonna look worse if we stay out here…come on, let's get inside." Mike refused to meet my eyes when he spoke. In fact, he didn't even look at me.

As Sam picked up a rock to smash through the window, I grabbed Mike's shoulder and forced him to look at me. Ice had already coated the pit of my stomach and bile was rising in my throat as I asked again. "Michael, where's my sister?"

Mike hesitation said it all. In fact, he didn't have to respond at all. His expression told me what had happened.

April was gone.

My sister, my twin sister, my constant companion throughout the entirety of my life was _dead._

The world started spinning around me and I braced myself on the wall of the Lodge as Sam broke through the glass windows on the door and unlocked it from the other side. "No…no, she can't be gone. No, Mike, no. No, she can't!" My voice was increasing loudly in volume to the point where I was shouting. "NO! SHE'S NOT DEAD! SHE ISN'T! WE HAVE TO GO BACK! WE HAVE TO—"

Sam's hand clamped over my mouth and she looked me dead in the eye. Hot tears were pouring down my face, my leg was throbbing intensely, and chest felt like it was collapsing on itself. She was gone. My sister was gone.

"Percy? Percival, are you listening to me? Percy, c'mon, sweetheart, look at me. Listen to my voice, okay?"

I met her eyes reluctantly.

"We have to get inside. Try to stay quiet, baby, I know it's gonna be hard, but you have to, okay? For me?"

I didn't respond. I _always_ responded to Sam. But I was broken. I was shattered. My world was torn apart. I merely gave the slightest nod I could muster and Sam removed her hand from my mouth and we went inside.

Sam flicked on the lights and Mike shut them off, shaking his head. "Not a good idea."

Sam pursed her lips and looked away from me and at Mike. "What do you think we should do?"

And from that point, I kinda zoned out on Mike, Sam, and Josh's conversation about our next move and followed them along to…wherever we were going. My breaths were quick and shallow as it hurt to even breathe. My chest felt like an elephant was standing on it. The world around us had literally turned to complete shit, but mine was collapsing.

I'd never see my sister's face again. In pictures, sure, but it'd never be the same. She'd never grow up with me. She'd never get married. She'd never meet my kids if I'd get off the fucking mountain. We wouldn't turn thirty or fifty together. She'd never make fun of me for being an old man, and I'd never make fun of her for being an old woman. There were so many things that ran through my head that would never happen, that she'd never get to see, and it made a fresh wave of tears cascade down my cheeks. My sobs were silent though, because deep down, in the part of me that was still thinking rationally, I knew that the quieter we were, the better. We didn't want the fuckers to find us.

We ended up down in the theater and Mike and Sam were talking about our chances as I tuned back in to reality.

"How do you rate our chances of survival?" asked Sam.

"I'm trying not to think about it," Mike muttered.

"Yeah, and how's that going?" quipped Josh.

As we were about to leave the theater, Ashley, Chris, and Emily crashed through the door.

"GO! RUN!" screamed Ashley.

"GET OUTTA HERE, GO, GO, GO!" yelled Chris.

"LET'S GO!" panted Emily as she brought up the back.

We didn't wait because we all knew why they were running. The Wendigos. They'd gotten inside. I wasn't sure how and I didn't exactly care either. They killed my sister. And I was gonna kill them. I pushed Sam forward as she hesitated slightly and was hot at her heels as we ran.

We ran back up the stairs, skidding to a halt when we got to the foyer. From the ceiling décor hung a Wendigo, in all of its milky, fleshy, disgusting glory. I stopped right behind Sam, not budging a muscle.

"Don't…move…" warned Mike lowly through ground teeth. "Don't fucking move a muscle…"

We froze, our breaths coming out in shallow puffs. I was nearly seeing red with rage and was itching to rip the fucking beast a new one, but I knew I didn't stand a chance. Not with my bare hands, there was no way in hell.

None of us moved. But the other two Wendigos that were tailing Chris, Emily, and Ashley…they moved. One of them landed poised on the stairs, as if ready to strike. The other wasn't in view, and then it was, hanging on the wooden support beam.

And then two of the Wendigos started fighting. I wasn't really sure how to react to that. I mean, I was happy one of them was getting it's ass kicked. I wasn't happy that that didn't put out chances too good when facing the winner, though.

The bigger Wendigo (who'd I'd later come to know was Hannah) smashed the one it was fighting into the stairs and then flung it across the room, into the fireplace. It hit the mantle and then slumped to the ground, going still. I hoped it was dead, or at least knocked out.

The other began to climb up the rock chimney, Hannah hot at its heels.

I peered closely at the fireplace as a smell hit my nose. Was that…propane? Then the pipeline caught my eye. In the fighting, the Wendigos had busted the pipe and it was pouring gas throughout the entire mansion. There was a light bulb nearby.

I caught Sam and Mike exchange a look. Both looked at me, and I nodded.

Mike began slowly moving to the light bulb as Hannah and the last Wendigo collided in midair. Hannah slammed said Wendigo into the carpet, then lifted it up, and ripped its head off it one swift motion. I nearly threw up.

Then Sam began to move, and at the wrong time, too. As she stepped, the floorboard creaked. Hannah spun around, screeching at Sam as she crept closer. Sam, the brave badass she was, stood her ground as the beast growled at her once more.

I heard two noises in rapid succession then. The first was the sound of the light bulb glass breaking, meaning Mike had done it. The second was a door opening and slamming. Someone had made it out, thank god. I didn't care who it was as long as _someone_ was going to get back civilization alive.

Just then, the beast – Hannah – lunged at Mike. I caught a glimpse of a butterfly tattoo as it sped by me. Wait. Butterfly tattoo? The realization hit me like a sucker punch. It was Hannah. Hannah, our friend who I'd only recently learned the fate of, was kicking ass and taking names. And trying to kill us.

I was faced with a decision. And I knew what I had to do.

"Hey! Hannah!" I yelled. "Just because Mike didn't want to go on a date with you shouldn't mean you have to kill the poor bastard!" I took off one of my shoes and chucked it at the Wendigo. It hit Hannah in the back of the head and it whirled around at me, screeching angrily.

It stalked towards me and I stood as still as humanly possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Ashley make her way outside. Hannah was right in front of me – all bald, and glassy eyed, her nasty, janky breath infiltrating my nostrils. I had to try and not gag – my life did depend on it, after all.

Finally, it backed off a bit, turning its back to me. Swallowing roughly and knowing it had turned the entire way around, I ran to the wooden pillar, pressing my back against it. I heard the Wendigo scream and growl in defiance. It let loose and ear-piercing screech that was so close to my face, I felt my hair blow back from my face. Hannah seriously could have used a breath mint, let me tell you.

Thankfully, the other Wendigo saved my ass. The one Hannah _hadn't_ decapitated was perched on the railing, and they were growling and yelling at each other in the screechy noises that was probably Wendigo for, _I called dibs on eating them, Hannah! Quit being a lil' bitch!_

I ran to the side of the fireplace, squeezing in close to the wall. Hannah, of course, had to turn her attention back to me. She did her little screeching yell and put her head _right next to mine_. I prayed that I'd be able to get out of this without wetting my pants. And being alive, of course.

I heard a pair of footsteps and exhaled a bit for two reasons. One, Hannah back off, moving forward, seemingly not seeing me. And two, Sam and Mike had made it out. Everyone was out except me. Time to blow the fuse.

Or that was what I thought.

So I made a run for it. The Wendigo that wasn't Hannah was right there, right behind me. I felt the gusts of air as its claws just missed my neck, I felt its breathing rustle my hair, I heard its heavy breaths. I was aware of a set of footsteps right behind me, and it hit me that everyone _wasn't_ out.

And then I heard a scream.

 _Emily_.

Then I heard a crash, but I didn't bother to turn around and look to see what had happened. I knew if I did, I'd be a dead man. A dreaded feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I prayed a silent prayer of forgiveness. She had been becoming tolerable. Maybe even one dare say, likable. But I knew neither of us would stand a chance if I stopped. I knew that we'd both be dead, the Lodge would never blow up, and the Wendigos would be on the mountain forever. They needed to be killed. I needed to end them. Not only for the people to come, but for Jessica. For Matt. For the Stranger. For April. For my sister.

And I flipped the light switch as I hit the front entrance.

The Lodge exploded into a fiery blast, Emily and the other Wendigos all inside. Heat seared my back, launching me forward into the snowy banks. I crashed into the ground, my vision blurring. A sharp pain, worse than ever before was ripping through my leg. My vision was tinted black on the edges, my cheeks numb from the snow.

I heard someone calling my name faintly. It sounded like April. And then is sounded a tad like Jess…then Matt…then Em. But April was gone. Matt and Jess were gone. I killed Emily myself.

Sam appeared in my fading vision. She was shaking me, trying to get me to come to, but I couldn't even get myself to come to.

The last thing I heard were helicopter blades and the last thing I saw was the sun as it rose in the pink morning sky.

It was morning. We'd made it until dawn.

* * *

"And that's it."

I pushed the pad of paper away toward the woman in the business suit.

"That's it?"

"That's it," I confirmed.

"Your story is condensed into these pages, Mr. Anthony?"

"Listen, lady, it's all right there. So can I go now?" I demanded impatiently.

The woman gathered the pad of paper and the pen and pencil up and stood up, looking at me with a pitying look. I didn't need her pity. Sure, I'd just been through hell, but I still didn't need it.

"You can go, Percy. But people are going to want to know what happened. Remember – it's a dangerous world out there."

I looked at her soberly, flashes of Wendigos flashing through my mind. "Lady, you've got no idea."

The woman smirked and knocked at the metal door that barred me from escape. "I'm done here. You'll be escorted back to the hospital. Have a nice day, Mr. Anthony."

She went to leave, but before she did, she turned back to me. "Oh, and don't say any of this to the press. They'll snap you guys up like a couple of sharks."

"Press?" I questioned blankly, but the lady was already gone.

I sat quietly until they let me out, my brain going numb, my body on autopilot. It was over, yes. The atrocity that was our night on Blackwood Mountain was over. Those of us who were lucky enough to survive would go back home, eventually, but the ones who weren't so fortunate would never see their families, or us, again. We'd never see them again. I'd never see my sister again.

As the reality slowly struck me, the sheer _realness_ of it all, I felt like I was going to pass out. My head was spinning. The lights above burned my eyes. I gripped the table to keep myself from toppling over.

I looked in the one-way mirror. In it, I saw myself. My hair was unruly and matted with blood. I had cuts and bruises all over my face. My scruff had grown out into the beginnings of a beard. If I saw someone who looked like me on the streets, I'd avoid them.

And then behind my reflection, I saw it.

The Wendigo. Its milky white skin stretched paper thin over bones. Its glassy eyes. Its butterfly tattoo. It screeched once. Then it lunged at me.

And the world went dark.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And yeah. That's a wrap, folks. I'll post a little chapter on this story letting you know when the sequel (if I do one) is uploaded! :D


	23. The Sequel!

The sequel, folks, I just posted chapter Numero Uno! It's called _After Dawn: New Beginnings._ I hope you'll all go to check it out because I just can't seem to let go of Percy's character. I love the way I made him and that's just half of it. He reminds me of me...so check it out!

Oh, some of you were wondering why Emily didn't make it out.

Emily's a lil' bitch.

And, uh, should I dare bring in an OC for Mike? Do y'all want him to have a bit of love too, because I took Sam from him? I dunno, just a thought.

So go check out the sequel! :D


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